


She's a Pirate

by ObaeWanKenobae



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Pre-Curse of the Black Pearl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2018-10-30 17:08:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 51,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObaeWanKenobae/pseuds/ObaeWanKenobae
Summary: An opportunity led to a betrayal. They thought they would never see each other again, but when he returns to her life, old buried feelings will reappear.~ Takes place during the movies, but important parts are pre-Curse of the Black Pearl ~





	1. Betrayed

The wind was howling in the night. The full moon, surrounded by hundreds of shiny stars on the dark sky, glowed above the black-sailed ship, which shifted from side to side on the clear waters of the Caribbean. A very young captain walked on the deck, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing. The sound of freedom. The crew was sleeping in the hold, so he was totally alone with his thoughts. He held a half empty bottle of rum in his right hand and brought it to his mouth. 

The young pirate strode towards the helm. He caressed the wood of the wheel and sighed in satisfaction. He loved this ship. His ship. He loved its beauty. He loved the freedom it made him feel. He loved the price he had to pay to earn it. He smiled proudly at himself.

All of a sudden, he heard the door of his cabin creaking open and slowly closing. He frowned and walked down the stairs, careful not to make any noise with every step against the dark wood. His mind came up with different options of what could be happening in the room, and many ideas of what to do with the intruder: Leave him at the next port, lock him in the brig, make him walk the plank, kill him... He had the authority to do as he wished.

Once the captain stood in front of his cabin, he took another swig from the bottle before opening the door. He reached for his pistol and entered the room, pointing the gun at the person inside. What he saw was greatly unexpected, yet pleasing. He immediately lowered his pistol when he saw a woman sitting on his bed, her face glowing under the golden light of a single candle.

She was the only girl in the crew, and his first mate's daughter. She had joined them when he recruited the crew in Tortuga. His first mate, Barbossa, had convinced him to bring her with them, and he hadn't had the heart to leave her behind. She was young, some years younger than him, and had nobody besides her pirate father. Although it was said that it would bring them bad luck to have a woman aboard, the captain had allowed her to join them.

Now she was sitting there, on his bed, looking up at him with her shiny eyes. He had always loved her eyes; they were a vivid dark shade of blue, as clear as the water of the ocean. They reminded him of the sea; in fact, the girl herself reminded him of the sea. She was unpredictable, changing, challenging, yet tempting and incredibly appealing. She was witty, clever and more deadly than her pure appearance showed. However, as dangerous as he knew she was, he still found her calming. He had seen a hidden side of her which not many people knew about. He knew she was kind and gentle, but fierce when she had to.

Occasionally, he wondered if she was real. She could be the sea itself and it wouldn't surprise him at all.

"J-Jack...", she whispered, seemingly shaken at the way he had pointed a gun at her. He felt ashamed of frightening her like that.

"Sorry, love." He extended his arm, offering her the bottle of rum, which she accepted instantly, swallowing the golden brown drink. She needed that. "Not that I complain, but what are you doing here?", he asked while sitting next to her.

She settled the glass bottle on the floor. She hesitated for a moment, not sure of how to start this conversation. "I wanted to see you."

Her chocolate brown hair hid her face like a beautiful cascade. He reached out to move a lock of her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. "You see me everyday, love."

She almost laughed at his comment. She would have let out a giggle, hadn't she been so nervous. "I mean... Alone. Here."

"And why exactly would you want that?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, she shuddered at the contact. Jack smirked delighted, but he noticed there was something unusual in her. She seemed tense, which was weird because she was always comfortable around him.

She could not find the adequate words, thus her voice trembled slighty as she murmured "I like you a lot, Jack. You know I do."

Of course he knew! Jack Sparrow was aware that women found him attractive and that she, as many others, had fallen for his charm. The truth was he would be lying if he said he hadn't fallen for her too. He had tried not to show his feelings for her, except for that time they shared a kiss on the crow's nest. However, they never mentioned it again and it was not repeated.

"Aye, I have noticed", he replied casually. Noticing that she wasn't looking at him, Jack grabbed her chin softly and turned her head to him.  He thought he saw a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. "What are you trying to tell me, love?"

Love. It made her heart flutter when he called her that. Their eyes locked. She loved his dark eyes, almost as much as he loved hers. For a second, her gaze flickered to his lips. She couldn't believe what she was about to do.

"I want to spend the night with you, Jack." Simple. Direct. He was taken aback at first, not believing his ears. He couldn't deny he had been waiting for her to pronounce those words for some time. And now, he didn't know what to say, which was unusual in Jack Sparrow.

She understood his lack of words as a rejection, so, embarrassed, she stood up to leave his cabin. However, before she could take a step, he took her hand. She turned around and saw him smiling.

"Stay, Narissa. I would love to spend the night with you," he whispered before sitting her again on his bed, holding her face between his hands and joining their lips for a second time. She kissed him back, softly at first, innocently, but soon it became fierce. It felt like a fire he had been waiting to burn again ever since they kissed for the first time. Her hands rested on his shoulders, trying to stop the shaking, and his wild ones roamed her body, trying to get rid of every piece of cloth that separated her from him.

Her shirt was lost somewhere in the room already when he layed down and she straddled his lap. Jack smiled while she unbottoned his shirt and kissed his tanned chest, he was lost in pleasure. Narissa held his hands and slowly, removing them from her body, placed them above his head. She reached for something hanging from her belt, but he didn't even notice, he was mesmerized. "This is actually hapenning," he thought, trying to convince himself that it was not a dream. He closed his eyes when her lips found his neck; then, she leaned into his ear and whispered "I'm sorry." He opened his eyes and frowned, looking at her questioningly.

Then, he noticed she was clapping his wrists in shackles. Click. She let go of his hands and stood up, avoididing looking at him, directing her eyes to the floor instead as she stood up. Jack was confused at first, but a suggestive smirk grew on his face slowly while he said "Well, this is not exactly what I had in mind, but we could try."

She didn't reply. Instead, she picked up her shirt and dressed herself, still not looking at him. Jack was beyond perplexed when she just openened the door and left.

He thought that maybe he had done something wrong and she had changed her mind, but why did he still have the irons around his wrists? His questions were answered when the door bursted open. He heard the yells from the crewmen, three of which made him stand up. A young and confused Jack Sparrow tried to fight the men who were carrying him out of his cabin. On deck, he found all of his men pointing their pistols at him. In front of him, his first mate stood triumphally, arms crossed over his chest, and beside him: Narissa, still looking down at the floor.

A mutiny led by his first mate. Narissa's father. Barbossa.

The last thing Narissa saw of Jack were his eyes filled with betrayal staring at her, while Barbossa made him walk the plank to abandon him on a desserted island.

She never saw him again.


	2. A Familiar Face

Some days after Barbossa mutinied against Jack Sparrow, Narissa left the Black Pearl and its cursed crew. She hadn't taken a single coin from the treasure - and she was glad about it when she discovered it was cursed - as she felt bad about her decision to betray her best friend, the man she was in love with. She felt guilty.

Well, she _was_ guilty.

But she never wanted Jack to go through this, she didn't even know that they would maroon him on a deserted island with his pistol and a single bullet. She was deceived by her own father into tricking Jack.

" _If you_ _don't_ _help us, we'll kill him. We_ _don't_ _need to do_ _this_ _, do we? We just want the ship and the treasure for ourselves. If you_ _don't_ _play_ _your part, he die_ _s."_ Barbossa had somehow discovered her feelings for Jack and used them for his own benefit. Lying to his own daughter, knowing she was in love and threatening to murder him if she didn't betray him. How could she know that he was planning to leave him to die anyway?

It was too much to deal with. The heartache of Jack probably being dead in a matter of days. The guilt that it was her fault for tricking him. The memory of his eyes staring at her miserably before jumping into the water and swimming towards the island. The disappointment of her father using her for his own goals. She used to admire him; he may not have been the most honest of men, but he was brave and smart, and he cared for her. Everything she knew, everything she loved, she learned it from him. Leaving him was a very hard thing to do for her, but she knew she couldn't stay after that. She had lost her respect for him, he wasn't her father anymore.

~○~●~○~

Time passed and she ended up in Port Royal. She believed that they wouldn't look for her there, as it was a place where pirates were strongly punished if they got caught. Therefore, it seemed like a perfect place to run away from her old life.

It wasn't too long until Narissa met William. It happened one morning at the market. Will hadn't eaten in days and he was caught stealing a loaf of bread. Although the Governor had given him new clothes and food to feed him for some weeks after his rescue, it wasn't enough to keep him alive in a place like that. When Narissa heard the baker yelling, scowling at the child and threatening him, she quickly stood between them.

"Stop it! I'll pay for it", she said, reaching for a coin from her pocket and handing it over to the baker, who accepted itreluctantly. Then, Narissa turned to the kid, whose brown eyes showed fear and she gave him the loaf and told him "Come with me, boy."

He followed her to her house. It was small, dirty, cold. She couldn't afford anything better. Her job as a waitress didn't allow her to buy any fancy luxury, as the civilised habitants of Port Royal were not as fond of drinking as people in places like Tortuga; the lack of drunkards was the cause of her short salary. Anyway, William thought her home was nicer than his own: A humid corner at the end of a narrow street.

His hands were still shaking holding the loaf of bread tightly. She ordered him to sit down at the table. She didn't have much food for herself, and she knew that feeding him, even just once, would have a negative effect on her own meals. However, he couldn't let the kid starve; by his sickly pale skin and his tired eyes, she suspected that he hadn't eaten in days. Her suspicions were proven true when she settled a full plate in from of him and his eyes and smile grew wide as he immediately started to eat eagerly.

Narissa chuckled at his enthusiasm and sat at the other side of the table. She looked at him intently and realised he looked awfully familiar. "What's your name?"

The kid swallowed the food in his mouth before answering. "William Turner."

She almost gasped at his reply. She hadn't heard that name in two years.

William Turner was a good man, the only person in the crew who had stood up for Jack. He had decided to send one of the coins from the cursed treasure to his son, so Barbossa would never reunite all the coins to break the curse. Turner believed that they deserved to be cursed, and so did Narissa. What her father and the other crewmen did to him afterwards was unnecessarily cruel. That was the last thing she could stand from Barbossa; she hated what greed had done to him and his crewmen. Their punishment for Turner made her decide to leave the Black Pearl. To give up on the pirate life.

Now, Turner's son was sitting in front of her, and she couldn't help wondering where was the gold coin. Did he have it with him? Had he lost it? Sold it?

"Where are your parents, William?" she continued the conversation to break the silence between them.

"My mother died some months ago. That's why I came here from England, to look for my father", he replied without looking at her, staring down at the plate instead. A sad, hopeless expression rested on his face.

She felt a knot in her throat as she listened to his words. William was so young, just a kid, and he had no one. He was only twelve years old and had to find a way to survive. Stealing that loaf of bread had been his last option. She felt sympathy for him; she had been in his place before.

Narissa's mother had died when she was ten years old, and she had been alone until she found her father. She had always been aware that he was a pirate, which she had thought was really exciting, and her mother had told her his name was _Hector_ _Barbossa._

So, when her mother died, she did everything she could to find a transport from Spain to Tortuga and find her father or someone who knew him. For three years, she managed to survive on her own. She stole and lied to get food, and every night she slept wondering if she'd eat the following day. It was a hard life and she felt alone, but eventually, when she was thirteen years old, she finally met him.

Barbossa soon taught her everything he knew about swordfighting, deceiving, stealing, pillaging and sailing. Piracy. She became part of his crew on the Cobra _,_ and she even became first mate. Some years later, the Cobra was sank. She was seventeen. That's when Barbossa met Jack Sparrow and joined his crew, convincing the young captain to let Narissa join as well.

Narissa understood how scared William must have been feeling. Alone in such a big world. Lost with nobody to guide him.

"William, do you have a place to stay?" He shook his head. "Then you can stay here for as long as you need," she offered with a soft voice, trying to earn his trust, as if talking to a startled wild animal.

She wanted him to know that he had a friend now, that she'd help him as much as possible. Mainly because he didn't deserve such a miserable life; it seemed like he had suffered enough. But also because of his father; she had met him and he had treated her well, and she'd make sure that his son would be safe.

Will finished the last of his food. The plate was almost completely clean; the boy really was hungry. "Thank you, Miss..."

"Call me Narissa", she smiled kindly. "Tell me, how did you manage to arrive at Port Royal from England? That's a quite long trip." She was trying to make him talk, to make him feel comfortable around him.

"I saved some money and I worked as a cabin boy on a ship, but...", he stopped for a second, not entirely sure if he should tell her about the attack. "We were attacked by pirates, so I lost all the money I had saved. I was the only survivor. I would have died if the Governor's daughter hadn't seen me."

Narissa found herself wondering if the pirates that had attacked William's ship were the same pirates she had left two years before. "Do you remember the ship that attacked you? What it looked like?"

At first, William frowned, confused at why she would ask that, but he answered anyway. "Its sails were black...", he stated, but then added "In fact, the whole ship was black." His reply confirmed her thoughts. She closed her hands tightly in anger. "Narissa... I hate them, I hate pirates. All of them. If I ever meet one, I swear I will kill it!", the boy exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Narissa didn't know how to react to his words; she was a pirate herself, or at least she used to be, but she could comprehend his hatred. "I can understand that, William. However, if you want to kill a pirate, you'll need to know how to fight. Do you know?" Ashamed, he shook his head. "Well, I can teach you."

He raised an eyebrow. "You?"

"Yes! Surprised?", she asked, almost laughing at his reaction. She had seen that expression on the faces of many men during her life.

"You're a woman."

Narissa laughed sarcastically. "Thank you, William! I wouldn't have realized without your help!", she exclaimed, faking her surprise, to which the boy laughed. "Do you want me to teach you or do you not?"

Since that day, Narissa taught Will everything she knew about dueling. During the previous two years, she had missed swordfighting terribly. She had always loved duels, from the moment her father started to train her, and she had enjoyed many fights with Jack on the deck of the Black Pearl. She hadn't held her sword since she had arrived at Port Royal, so being able to fight again was satisfying for her.

Some time later, she helped Will to find a job as a blacksmith at Mr. Brown's shop. During eight years, Will and Narissa practiced for hours every day. He learned very quickly, fuelled by his hatred for pirates. Even she improved her own fighting skills.

 

As years passed, Narissa and William grew very close to each other. Will stayed at her house all along, as he found her company pleasing and comforting; he had become very attached to her. She had showed him kindness, she had cared about him when nobody did. Narissa would have liked to tell him the truth about her past, what had happened to his father; she would have liked to confess who was her father and why she had left. He deserved to know. However, his hatred towards pirates only grew day after day, and she was afraid that he'd push her away if he discovered the truth.

Narissa never forgot Jack Sparrow, the captain that had stolen her heart. At the beginning, she was convinced that he had died at the island; there was no way he could have escaped. However, rumours about a young pirate that called himself _captain_ _Sparrow_ had reached her ears. Apparently, said pirate had completely vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company and sacked Nassau Port without firing a shot.

Yes, it sounded a lot like Jack.


	3. Little Noble Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to add this chapter about how Elizabeth and Narissa met; it doesn't follow the rest of the story, but I thought it was important.

Alone in her house, Narissa was sewing one of her dresses when a soft knock on the door distracted her from her task. She left the dress, needle and thread on the table and stood up.

When she opened the door, she found a little girl, not older than twelve, standing with her hands behind her back. Her blond hair was styled in perfect curls that rested on her shoulders, and her light blue dress was probably more expensive than Narissa's entire house. These details, together with her pale skin tone, indicated that the girl did not belong in that poor area of Port Royal. 

Before the woman could ask who was she, the girl spoke. "Good morning, Miss. Are you Miss Narissa Murphy?" The woman nodded, already used to her fake last name. "My name is Elizabeth Swann. I'm looking for William Turner, they told me at the orphanage that he lives here now." Will had been kicked out before Narissa met him. The director of the orphanage told him that he was old enough to find a job and they couldn't afford to take care of him anymore.

The woman raised an eyebrow, she recognised the girl's name, so she was wondering why the new governor's daughter had left her fancy house and come to this part of the town, just to see Will.

"Why do you want to see him?"

It took her more than just a second to reply. "I... I must give him something." Her hands tightened behind her back, holding something that Narissa couldn't see. If she had seen the golden coin with an engraved skull on its surface, maybe everything would have been different. But Elizabeth hid it from her then and during the following years.

"I'm sorry, but he's working and he won't be back until the evening." Elizabeth's expression showed disappointment upon hearing those words. "But whatever you have to give him, I can give it to him when he arrives."

"No!" she almost yelled immediately, to which Narissa frowned. "It has to be me." Elizabeth knew she couldn't let anybody know that Will owned a pirate coin. During the few days she'd spent with him on their trip to Port Royal, she had started to care for him and they had become friends. She couldn't tell anyone, or she would risk seeing Will hanged. Therefore, she secretly kept the medallion in her small purse, making sure that the woman in front of her couldn't see what was in her hand.

"Alright..." Narissa replied doubtfully. She suspected the girl was hiding something from her, but since William had talked highly of her, she chose to trust her and not ask further questions. "In that case, I can't do anything to help. William can't be interrupted while he's working. Do you want me to walk you back home? This place is not safe for you, you shouldn't go alone."

The girl looked around and saw beggars asking for money, drunk people trying to walk straight and two men fighting over a bet. She shook her head. "I can't go home yet. My father believes I'm taking my French lessons, but I told my teacher that I felt sick so I could skip today's class. My father would never let me come to this part of the town."

Narissa smiled and stopped herself from laughing at the young girl's wit. "How long do your lessons last?"

She thought for a second. "They should finish in about an hour and a half."

"Alright, then." After making sure that she had the key in her pocket, Narissa stepped out of the door and closed it behind her. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

Elizabeth smiled widely, nodding eagerly at the offer. She shouldn't trust a stranger like this, but Will lived with this woman, so she couldn't be that bad!

~~~~~~~

The young Elizabeth raised the bottom of her expensive dress so it wouldn't get dirty with the wet sand under her feet. Both girls walked by the shore side by side. An uncomfortable silence settled between them and Narissa tried very hard to come up with something to say, a topic to start a conversation, a compliment on her outfit or her hairstyle. Anything that wasn't a simple comment about the nice weather.

However, nothing came from her mouth. What conversation could they have? They were so different, not only because of their age gap, but also because of their social status.

Finally, Elizabeth spoke. "I love the ocean," she commented while staring beyond the sea.

Surprised, Narissa smiled a little. It seemed that they had something in common after all. "So do I. Do you sail often?"

The kid shook her head sadly. "Just once, when I came here from London."

"Why do you like it so much, then? Usually, the first time sailing isn't very nice. Sea sickness, boredom, storms..." Narissa spoke while remembering her first trip, from Italy to Tortuga. It wasn't nice at all. 

At first, the girl didn't know how to explain why she had loved the experience so much. After a silent minute, she muttered "I felt free." She paused. "For the first time in my life I didn't have to take etiquette classes, or have dinner with boring people that only talk about politics and economics, or care about how I looked like or how I behaved because of what people might think of me. There was nobody there to judge me. I wish I could experience that again." She held a dreamy look, staring at the horizon. "And the sea, the weather, the sky... Everything was so thrilling. I felt like a pirate!"

Narissa chuckled. "And that's a good thing?"

"Pirates must be amazing. I read about them all the time, about their adventures, treasures, curses..." She turned her head to look at the woman. "I think it would be exciting to meet one."

She gave the girl a sad smile. "I don't think that pirates are actually as described in your books. Those stories don't tell you everything about them; it's not all adventure and fun. They're dangerous."

"That's what father says. But I don't think they're dangerous, they're free." In her voice, Narissa could notice that Elizabeth craved freedom.

Narissa felt sad because piracy wasn't as Elizabeth thought. "If you ever meet a pirate, you'll realise they are not as great as you think." She thought of her father and the crew she used to sail with. How great they were until they showed their true colours!

They started walking again. Elizabeth stared at her feet, thinking. "Maybe I've already met one, but I don't know it yet. Maybe they're hiding."

Narissa chuckled at the fact that that's exactly what she was doing. "It would be stupid for a pirate to come to Port Royal, don't you think? This place has killed more pirates than can be counted."

"That's why Port Royal is the perfect place for one of them to hide. Nobody would suspect that there's a pirate in this town. The closer to danger, the further from it."

The woman looked down at the girl, amazed by her words, and gave her a smile. "You're a smart girl." Elizabeth beamed at this statement; most compliments she received called her beautiful, nice, obedient, responsible... But never smart. "Who knows? Maybe you're right and you've met a pirate."

After a minute or two, Elizabeth started to sing "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me."

Narissa quickly turned her head to look at her with a shocked expression. She knew that song, she'd listened to it once, in Tortuga, from a drunk pirate. The tune had gotten stuck in her head. "Where did you learn that?"

"When I lived in London, one of my maids sang it all the time when she was with me. She gave me my first book about pirates." Her expression saddened. "It turns out that her father was a pirate, but I didn't know this until she was imprisoned."

Narissa would have never predicted that she, a pirate, would have so many things in common with a little noble girl, but this was no ordinary girl.

  ~~~~~~~  

Both women sat at the docks, their naked feet playing in the water. It had become an habit to walk by the beach or the docks at least once a week since they met.

Elizabeth was now sixteen years old. She had grown up to be a very intelligent and beautiful young woman.  Lately, she barely had any free time. Having lunch with fancy people and learning languages and history took most of her time. However, the hours she spent with Narissa were her favourite thing. Having someone to talk to, to laugh with, to dream with, to cry on her shoulder. Narissa had become a good friend, her confindant. 

Her fascination for pirates had faded out with time, but that yearn for adventure that had been started by reading pirate books never left her heart. Instead of asking Narissa to tell her pirate stories, she wanted to hear about the world. She wanted to learn about other cultures, places, people... She had to know what she was missing. 

That day, Narissa noticed that Elizabeth wasn't feeling very good. She wasn't talking much and it was difficult to make her smile. As they stared at the sailing ships from afar, she asked her "What's wrong, Lizzy?" She'd started calling her Lizzy soon after they met and the girl loved being called something that wasn't formal.

"I think-" she started, but the knot that had formed in her throat didn't allow her to continue. Before a sob could leave her mouth, she leaned on Narissa's shoulder. The woman wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her back gently, whispering that she could tell her anything. Finally, Elizabeth gulped and sat straight. She took a deep breath and blinked a few tears away. "I think my father wants me to marry captain Norrington." As she said this, more tears gathered in her brown eyes.

Frowning, Narissa asked "How do you know that?"

"I heard him and my father talking about it in his office. They said it would happen when I'm old enough." She knew this meant she'd be married by the age of eighteen. "I know he's a fine man, he's always kind to me and he will give me a good life, but..." She didn't know how to explain it. Everything she said made it look like marrying him was the best thing to do.

"But you don't love him," Narissa finished for her. Elizabeth nodded, but didn't say a word. "Your father is a good man, I'm sure if you tell him you don't want to marry Norrington, he will accept it."

She sadly shook her head. "This is what I was raised for. All my life I've known that one day I'd marry a rich man, give him a few children and stay at home." She closed her eyes for a moment, so the tears wouldn't escape. "But that's not what I want. I don't want security, or wealth, or a big house."

"What do you want?"

The younger woman looked at her with determination. "I want a challenge, adventure, to make my own decisions. I want to see the world. There are so many wonderful things out there that I am missing and I can only read about them." At that moment, Narissa wished that she was still a pirate so she could sail away with her friend. "As soon as I get married, every chance to change my life will be over." She averted her gaze to look at her feet and a single tear fell on the salty water.

"Listen to me." Narissa held her chin and turned her head so she was loking at her. "No matter who you marry, if you marry, the world will still be out there and nobody can stop you from seeing it. You're much more than a pretty face and fancy dresses. If a man doesn't understand that, he's not worth marrying."

Elizabeth gave her a small thankful smile before hugging her tightly. She rested her head on the woman's shoulder, damping her shirt with her tears.

A melody coming from her friend's mouth reached the younger girl's ears. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me..." Narissa sang in a whisper. The tune made her smile a little. They sang together, watching the sun hiding behind the horizon and dreaming about a life they could never have.


	4. Honesty

The swords clashed against each other. The blades slashed the air in fast swift movements. The sound of the metal colliding was loud, but not loud enough to awaken Mr. Brown; he was sleeping on a chair at a corner of the blacksmith shop. It would extremely difficult to wake him up, almost impossible, mainly because he was drunk.

Narissa and William were practicing, as usual, at the shop. This time, each of them was wielding two swords. Narissa held her own sword with the right hand, and one of those made by Will with the left one. With a quick, strong move, she accomplished to withdraw one of Will's swords from his left hand. He kept fighting her with only one weapon, although he was having some difficulty.

All of a sudden, Narissa kicked his other sword out of his grasp. She kicked him powerfully again behind his legs, making him fall on his knees. Will felt the sharp edges of her two crossed blades against his neck. He looked up at her, hopeless and breathing heavily.

Exhausted, Narissa smirked down at him. "Dead," she said before withdrawing the crossed swords from the young man's skin.

She extended her hand to him to help him stand up; he accepted her hand, slightly annoyed at her. "That's not fair. You can't just kick me!" he complained. Now she was the one looking up at him; Will had grown up a lot since they met and now he was quite taller than her.

Narissa laughed loudly. "Stop whining! You can't just expect your opponent to fight fairly. In a real duel, there's no such thing as fair play." She shoved her sword into her belt and placed the one made by Will next to the others.

"I know, but that's not an honest way of fighting," he kept complaining, wiping the sweat out of his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

Narissa sighed deeply, it was exasperating. "It's not about being honest, William, it's about surviving!" His honesty would drive her mad one day. He was always trying to do the right thing, to follow the rules. She also admired this quality of him, but he had to understand that people out there weren't like him; he needed to be ready for everything. "Most people don't think like you do, William. You should try to be dishonest just once."

Will knew she was right and he should listen to her. She was the best swordsman, or in this case swordswoman, he had ever met. He had been impressed by her skills from the beginning, specially because she was a girl. Narissa was strong and fast, very agile, and she could use her legs and fists as well if she needed to. When he had asked her years ago where she had learned to fight like that, she simply replied her father and some friends had instructed her; she gave no details, like she did every time he asked about her life before she arrived at Port Royal.

Settling his own swords next to the rest, Will said "I need to go home now and get changed." He looked down at his dirty clothes. "I must go to the Governor's house today."

Narissa sat on a neaby barrel and took a bite of a green apple she had brought with her. "Gonna see your girlfriend?" she asked teasingly, obviously referring to the Governor's daughter, while chewing the fruit.

The young blacksmith sent her an annoyed look that said shut up, but Narissa noticed his cheeks were slightly reddened and she tried to stifle her laugh, failing miserably. She had known about his feelings for Elizabeth for years; the boy had been desperately in love with her since the day they met. Of course, her being a noble woman and him a simple blacksmith, he would never dare to confess his affection for her.

Will shook his head smiling and walked towards something next to the furnace where he worked on his swords. Narissa, still sitting on the barrel, looked at him curiously. He picked up a large object covered by a blanket; he removed the blanket as he walked back towards her. It was a black sword case.

Her curiosity grew when Will said "It took me days to make this." He stood in front of Narissa and opened the case. Inside there was a beautiful elegant sword whose handle was decorated with gold filigree. He added "It's for today's Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony. He's becoming Commodore and Mr. Brown was asked to make the ceremonial sword... Which meant that I had to make it."

She nodded, remembering that he had mentioned there would be an important ceremony some day; she hadn't given it much importance.

The woman caressed the sword's handle. It truly was fascinating. "William... This is wonderful work, a masterpiece. Norrington will have to love it."

He thanked her, satisfied with his work, while he closed the case carefully. She looked at him proudly. She knew Will worked very hard, he put all of his effort and passion into the things he loved; the problem was he usually didn't get the credit he deserved for it.

"What are you going to do today? I suppose you won't attend the ceremony." Will asked her, knowing that she wasn't fond of all those special gatherings.

"Your supposition is correct," she replied, jumping down from the barrel. "I don't think they'd let me in wearing these clothes, anyway." She wore dark trousers, brown boots and a white shirt that showed some cleavage and was starting to look grey. "I think I'll just go to the docks or to the beach. Or both," she concluded, taking a last bite from her apple.

"Alone?" Will asked. When Narissa had a walk, she usually did it with Elizabeth. They enjoyed each other's company, although Elizabeth was some years younger than her, the same age as Will. The Governor didn't always allow her to hang out with Narissa, but they usually managed to find a way to spend time together. Thanks to this, Narissa noticed that Will's feelings for the girl were reciprocal but, as none of them would confess them, she decided it was not her place to interfere. However, as Elizabeth would most likely go to the ceremony, Narissa knew she wouldn't be able to enjoy her company that day.

Narissa corrected him "I am not going alone. I prefer to say: with the lovely company of myself. I'll see you later, William. Send my regards to your girlfriend," she finished, waving goodbye to him with a knowing smirk and heading to the docks.

Narissa walked through the town with a smile on her face, whistling a pirates song that Elizabeth had taught her. Since the day they met, Elizabeth had shown her admiration for pirates; Narissa thought she wouldn't actually like pirates if she ever met one, but she told her stories about them nevertheless.

The sun shone brightly, the birds sang beautifully and the weather was very nice. It was a perfect day. However, the woman who was always prepared for anything was absolutely not ready to see him again.


	5. An Unexpected Meeting

The sun brushed Narissa's tanned skin delicately as she wandered around the beach. She inhaled deeply the scent of the sea and closed her eyes in satisfaction. She missed sailing. She missed the ocean. Sometimes, she even missed piracy. It may have not been the most honest of lives, but she had enjoyed every second of it. A life full of trouble and danger, with nobody to trust, with everyone around you being a possible enemy. It was thrilling. And without rules.

The truth was that Narissa had only felt totally free when she was a pirate; when she abandoned that life, a little part of her was gone. Or maybe that part of her disappeared when Jack left her life. In Port Royal, she felt chained, caged, trapped. It had been a clever idea to start a new life there, as no pirates would ever dare to set foot on a place like that. However, she had regretted her decision a few times. She craved the ocean; she desired to feel the deck of a rocking ship under her feet; she needed the rain of a storm at sea, the sound of the intense thunders and the waves crashing against the hull; she longed the sensation of the wind running through her hair when she sat at the crow's nest.

Her feet brought her to the docks and her thoughts were disturbed by a very familiar deep voice saying "I've heard of one! It's supposed to be fast, nigh uncatchable... The Black Pearl." It was a man talking with Murtogg and Mullroy, two sailors who were guarding one of the navy's ships. Narissa knew them; the guys were quite simple, even ridiculous. She had used her charm to trick them many times in order to get some profit in certain situations; usually, this meant getting away with stealing. The two men seemed to fancy her and she took advantage of it.

Narissa frowned when she heard the mysterious man's voice.  _Could he be...?_ She shook her head; it was impossible. Only a mad man would come to Port Royal if he was a pirate. Although Jack had never been very rational...

The man, who wore a long dark coat, had his back turned to her, so Narissa couldn't see his face. However, she distinguished his long dark hair in a bunch of dreadlocks and braids, decorated with many beads; he already had this hairstyle when they met. She also recognized a brown tricorn hat that rested on his head; this almost confirmed her thoughts, Jack was very attached to that hat, as he had worn it for years. But she wasn't quite sure yet.

While Murtogg and Mullroy kept debating whether the Black Pearl was a real ship or not, the apparently unknown man walked towards the ship which they were supposed to be guarding: the  _Interceptor._  They were so focused on their own argument that they didn't even notice he had slipped away from them.

From her current position, Narissa wasn't able to see the face of the man that she hoped was her old friend. He was too far away. In order to get a better look at him, she decided to join him on the  _Interceptor._  She walked quickly, yet quietly, when she passed by the two empty-headed sailors.

The man, standing at the wheel, frowned when he saw her getting on the ship. He glared at her, her face wasn't familiar to him at first. He tilted his head slightly in confusion.  _What is this girl doing?_

However, when the woman approached slowly to stand next to him, it only took him a second to recognize those stormy blue eyes.  _Narissa._  The girl that reminded him of the sea, that  **was** the sea. She looked different, as it had been ten years since the last time they saw each other. She looked older, of course, and more mature. " _How old is she now? Twenty six? Twenty seven?_ " he thought. Her brown hair, which had once been long enough to reach her elbows, now barely touched her shoulders. It was a shame, he had always loved her long wild hair. She looked as breathtaking as always; age hadn't damaged her beauty at all. He got lost in her eyes for a second. Those eyes... They belonged to the girl that he had once loved. The girl that had stolen his heart and broke it, that had seduced him and betrayed him, waiting for the right moment to distract him. The girl that had played with his feelings and tricked him into thinking that she loved him too. And he had fallen into her trap like an idiot. It was a hard lesson, but he learned not to trust anybody and not to show feelings like those again; she was a pirate, he should have seen it coming.

Now she was standing in front of him. And Jack wanted to hate her. He had wanted to hate her during all those long ten years, but he couldn't. Even though he tried, he couldn't find a single trace of abhorrence or disgust in his heart. Only pain.

Narissa could see the rush of emotions going through his eyes and knew that he had recognized her. Those dark, almost black, eyes. How much she had missed them! Jack Sparrow, her Jackie. He was there. Why? She didn't care right now.

He looked different. He had grown a mustache and a braided beard which was adorned with beads. His dark hair was longer; he had the dreadlocks already when she had met him, but now they were decorated with random trinkets. Under his brown hat, which he didn't have before, a red bandana surrounded his head; Narissa recognised it, she had given it to him. It made her happy that he still had it.

He had changed, that was undeniable, but she still could see the young man she once fell in love with. Narissa thought of something to say. What do you say in a moment like this? This was a really unexpected situation.

"I can't believe tha-" Her words were interrupted by Murtogg and Mullroy running towards them; they finally noticed that Jack had vanished.

"Hey! You!" Jack tore his eyes away from her. "Get away from there!" Murtogg said pointing at him with a gun.

Jack spread his hands in apology. "I'm sorry. It's just- It's such a pretty boat," he explained holding the wheel. "Ship!" he quickly corrected.

"Stay away from him, Miss Murphy," Mullroy warned Narissa. Jack almost laughed at her fake last name. "He could be dangerous."

"Could he?" She eyed Jack from head to toe and raised an eyebrow. "Nah, I don't think so." Jack looked at her seemingly offended by her words.

Both sailors eyed him suspiciously until Murtogg asked "What's your name?"

"Smith. Or Smithy, if you like," he replied calmly. Narissa restrained her laugh in order not to make them suspect that he was lying.

"What's your purpose in Port Royal, Mr. Smith?" Mullroy demanded, still pointing the gun at him.

"Yeah, and no lies!" Murtogg tried to sound threatening.

Jack sighed and stepped forward, leaving Narissa behind him. "Well, then, I confess: it is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out!"

The sailors and Narissa stared at him in disbelief, pondering his words.

"I said no lies!" Murtogg insisted, starting to get annoyed by Jack. That was one of the pirate's many talents: annoying literally everyone.

"I think he's telling the truth," Mullroy commented to his partner.

"If he were telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us," Murtogg tried to reason with him.

Narissa understood why Jack had confessed his plan, or at least she thought that she understood; he wanted to confuse them, so she tried to help with that. "Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you," she told them. Jack turned around to look at her and smirked.

While the men started to argue again, this time about Jack telling the truth, the pirate approached her. "Miss Murphy? Really? I would have thought you'd come up with something better than that."

"Forgive me for my lack of originality, Mr. Smith," she told him mockingly. He didn't reply; he simply smiled down at her, showing his teeth, some of which were golden.

There were so many things that Narissa wanted to know about him. She had thought there was no possible way he could have escaped from that island, but here he was.

She had been sure that she would never see him again. And here he was.

She believed that no pirate would ever come to Port Royal.

Here he was. He was alive and safe.

He was Captain Jack Sparrow. And she was certain that he would never forgive her.


	6. The Daring Rescue

On the _Interceptor_ , Narissa and the two sailors listened intently to Jack Sparrow's tales about some of his many adventures. Narissa was sitting next to Jack at the helm, with her legs crossed and her elbows resting on her knees, her chin leaned on the palms of her hands. She wished she could have lived all those adventures with him. She listened to him admiringly, laughing from time to time at his funny remarks; Jack had always had the ability to make her laugh easily. She realised then how much she had missed his smooth voice.

"And then they made me their chief," Jack concluded his story about how he was once captive of a tribe. Murtogg and Mullroy seemed perplexed.

Their attention was suddenly drawn away from him when the figure of a woman fell into the water from the battlements built at the edge of a cliff. Every head was turned to her, the four of them stood up and leaned onto the rail of the ship.

Narissa looked up at the top of the cliff when she heard a male voice shout "Elizabeth!!!" It was Norrington, who looked like he was about to jump into the water. Her eyes widened as she stared at the water. How did her friend end up falling into the sea from there?

"Will you be saving her then?" Jack asked the two sailors, hesitating on what to do. Saving the drowning girl could make the authorities find him and imprison him.

"I can't swim!" Mullroy replied. Jack glanced at Murtogg, who just stared back at him and shook his head.

"Pride of the King's Navy you are," he commented.

"Well, someone has to do something!" Narissa exclaimed impatiently while taking off her coat and dropping the belt with her sword, ready to get into the water. After taking a few steps back, she ran towards the rail of the ship and jumped into the cold sea.

The men weren't expecting that at all. Jack smiled slightly; she'd always been unpredictable. However, he started to worry when he realised that the girls had been in the water for too long and it looked like they weren't coming back.

This time without any glimpse of hesitation, but a little pissed off, Jack handed the guards his hat, and all of his effects. "Do not lose these," he ordered before diving into the water to save the girls.

He swam to the bottom, where he saw Narissa struggling to take off Elizabeth's velvet dress; it was making both girls drown. He dived quickly towards them and, together, they managed to get rid of the heavy dress, which drowned like a cloud into darkness. Like this, they were able to swim faster to the surface. Once her head found the air, Narissa gasped for oxygen. Jack kept an arm wrapped around Elizabeth's waist, she was unconscious.

They swam towards the dock, where Murtogg and Mullroy waited for them worried. They had retrieved Narissa's sword and coat from the  _Interceptor_ in order to give them back to her. They tried to assist Narissa to get out of the water, but she climbed up to the dock by herself, rejecting their help. She leaned on a nearby pillar exhausted and tried to breathe steadily. When Murtogg handed her the coat and the sword, she smiled thankfully at him, unable to pronounce any word due to the lack of air. She put on the dark blue coat and fastened the belt with her sword around her waist.

Behind her, Jack carried Elizabeth over his shoulder. The two sailors helped him to haul her out of the water and laid her on the dock. Exhausted, Jack climbed up.

"She's not breathing!" Murtogg exclaimed.

By then Narissa had almost recovered her breath; she reached for the knife she had attached to her thigh and ran towards Elizabeth. "Move!" she ordered at the three men, who were circling Elizabeth, and shoved them aside forcefully. She knelt down next to the girl and cut open her corset with the knife; then, she yanked it away.

For a moment, Elizabeth remained still. But soon she began coughing up water and gasping, choking on her first full breath. Narissa let out a sigh of relief. " _Those bloody tight clothes..._ " she thought, wishing she could kill whoever invented corsets.

"Never would've thought of that," Murtogg said, surprised by Narissa, who hadn't even hesitated on what to do.

Jack, who knelt down besides her, commented "Clearly you've never been to Singapore."

Narissa looked at him and held back a chuckle, sending him a soft smile instead. Jack looked at her for a moment, remembering that one time he had saved her from drowning, cutting open her tight clothes just like she had just done with this girl. He had almost gone insane when he saw her unconscious on the deck of the Pearl; there were no words to describe his relief when she finally opened her eyes and sent him a lazy smile.

Jack's eyes traveled from Narissa to Elizabeth's chest, where a familiar golden medallion rested. Narissa's gaze followed his and her eyes widened. They both recognised it. "Where did you get that?" he asked.

Before Elizabeth could say anything, the noise of feet stomping the wooden floor approached them. A blade was pointed at Jack's throat. Narissa recognised the sword, it was the same one that William had showed her earlier that morning.

"On your feet," the voice of a man said. Narissa lifted her gaze to find Commodore Norrington standing proudly and threatening, glaring at Jack. A group of soldiers surrounded them, pointing theirs guns at him. Narissa knew this couldn't end well.

With the sword still dangerously close to his neck, Jack got on his feet slowly. Meanwhile, Narissa helped Elizabeth to stand up. In order to warm her up, she draped her own coat around the younger woman's shoulders. The Governor arrived quickly, extremely worried. He looked alarmed when he saw his daughter surrounded by men and wearing only her wet underdress and a coat that barely covered her.

Governor Swann eyed at Jack from head to toe and, as he had been too close to his almost naked daughter, he simply said "Shoot him"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on!" Narissa interrupted quickly, standing in front of him. "That won't be necessary. This man has just saved your daughter's life. If anything, you should thank him," she explained, trying to end this situation before anybody found out that Jack was a pirate.

After reassuring her father that she was alright, Elizabeth asked Norrington "Do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"

Reluctantly, he ordered his men to draw away their weapons and sheathed his sword. Jack clasped his hands together and silently thanked Elizabeth and Narissa with a quick movement of his head.

Norrington extended his hand to Jack. "I believe thanks are in order." Hesitantly, Jack accepted his hand and shook it. Narissa had a bad feeling about this. Suddenly, Norrington pulled up the sleeve of Jack's shirt, revealing a mark on his wrist: a  _P._  Narissa bit her bottom lip nervously, expecting the worst to happen. "Had a brush with the East India Trading company, did we, pirate?"

A expression of grimace sat on Jack's face, as if he could still feel the burning ache of that mark. Narissa noticed this, and she looked at him sadly. She knew part of the story behind it, but not everything, he had told her years ago. She was one of the few people who knew something about Jack's past.

"Hang him," Governor Swann said dryly.

"Keep your guns on him, men," Norrington ordered, still holding Jack's wrist tightly. "Gillette, fetch some irons." He noticed the tattoo above the  _P_ mark. It was a sparrow flying above the waves, with the sun behind it. Narissa looked at this, she had always loved his tattoo; it definitely showed his personality, his need for freedom. "Well, well. Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

" _Captain_  Jack Sparrow, if you please," he corrected. Narissa rolled her eyes, but smiled. Typical of Jack.

"Well, I don't see your ship, Captain."

"I'm in the market as it were," he tried to explain.

Murtogg quickly said "He said he'd come to commandeer one." Narissa sighed in annoyance. This really could not have a happy ending.

"Told ya he was telling the truth," Mullroy told his partner. Then, he approached the Commodore and said "These are his, sir." handing him Jack's effects.

Norrington took Jack's pistol. "No additional shots nor powder... A compass that doesn't point north..." he commented, moving the compass around. Narissa smirked when she recognised Jack's beloved compass; he had never told her what exactly it pointed to although she had asked him many times, as Jack had it with him at all times, but he had refused to tell her the truth. The Commodore then unsheathed Jack's sword and said mockingly "And I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

"But you have heard of me." Narissa tried not to laugh at Jack's remark.

While Jack was pulled along to be put in chains, Elizabeth and Narissa followed Norrington. The jacked wrapped around Elizabeth fell as she walked.

"Commodore, this is extremely unfair!" Narissa complained while moving a wet lock of her hair out of her face.

Both women stood between Jack and Norrington. "Pirate or not this man saved my life," the youngest one said.

Jack's wrists were being put in chains while Norrington replied "One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness." Narissa glared at him, wishing she could slap him without being sent to prison.

"Though it seems enough to condemn him," Jack commented behind the girls.

Glancing at Jack with a proud smirk, Norrington said "Indeed."

Narissa groaned and got closer to Norrington. "I can't believe this! This man risked his life to save Miss Swann. I probably would have died too if he hadn't been there and this is how you thank him? By arresting him, sending him to jail and hanging him?! As if he was a... a..." The anger she felt didn't allow her to find her words.

"A criminal, Miss Murphy. That's what he is. I suggest you stay out of this." Narissa crossed her arms over her chest and Norrington pushed her away.

When they were done putting Jack in chains, he muttered "Finally" before throwing his irons around Elizabeth's neck. She drew a sharp breath as he pressed her against his wet chest, using her as a shield. Everyone gasped, including Narissa, even though she suspected he wouldn't harm her. She knew Jack, he didn't like using violence unless it was his only option. Or at least, that's how he used to be; time had passed and the Jack she once knew could have changed. What if he was thinking of hurting Elizabeth?

"No, don't shoot!" the Governor shouted, scared for his daughter's life. Narissa looked at the pirate with pleading eyes, begging him not to hurt her friend.

"I knew you'd warm up to me... Commodore Norrington, my effects, please, and my hat." As he didn't obey immediately, Jack insisted. "Commodore!" He finally took Jack's effects from Mullroy's hands and held them out to him. "Elizabeth... It is Elizabeth isn't it?" he whispered close to the girl's ear.

"It's Miss Swann," she replied sharply. Narissa smiled at her reaction, she didn't seem scared of him. She always knew she was a brave girl.

"Miss Swann , if you'd be so kind." She didn't move. "Come, come, dear. We don't have all day," he insisted, so Norrington handed her Jack's effects. He took his gun and harshly turned Elizabeth around, keeping the chains around her neck and the gun pointed at her head. "Now if you'd be very kind..." Angrily, Elizabeth strapped on his sword and put on his hat. Meanwhile, Jack stared at Narissa and winked at her, smirking. When she noticed the proximity between him and Elizabeth, whose arms were around him to fasten his belt, she wanted to slap that smirk out of his face. Norrington looked disgusted by the situation, he couldn't even look at the scene. "Easy on the goods, darling."

Tightening his belt as much as possible, she said through gritted teeth "You're despicable."

"Sticks and stones, love. I saved your life, you save mine, we're square." He turned her around again, so now she was facing everyone. "Gentlemen! M'lady..." He locked eyes with Narissa. "My dear Narissa..." Her heart stopped for a second at the sound of his velvety voice pronouncing her name for the first time in years. "You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!"

He pushed Elizabeth forward and she fell into Norrington's arms while Jack grabbed a rope, lifting himself up. A counterweight dropped, shattering the wooden floor of the dock and making some soldiers fall. Jack grabbed a second rope and swung around while they fired at him, missing every shot. Narissa watched with her mouth and eyes wide open, staring at Jack's unusual escape and hearing his screams as the bullets got too close to his body.

He finally landed on a beam above their heads and slid down another rope to the ground. She shook her head, laughing silently at the scene. He would never stop surprising her.

"Gillette, Mr. Sparrow has a dawn appointment with the gallows. I would hate for him to miss it," Norrington said. Narissa tensed, she could do nothing but hope that Jack wouldn't get caught.

As the soldiers ran around searching for the pirate, Governor Swann draped his own coat around Elizabeth. Narissa approached her. "Do you still think that pirates are as exciting as in your fantasy books?" Elizabeth shook her head, quite frustrated by the situation. "You should get home and get changed, Lizzie. We don't want you to get sick." The Governor frowned at the nickname she had used for his daughter. Elizabeth nodded and left with her father.

Narissa picked up her jacket and decided to go home and change her wet clothes, as she was starting to feel cold. The sun had hidden behind some grey clouds all of a sudden and she was shivering slightly. She also wanted to see William and tell him about her bizarre adventure, without mentioning that she knew the fugitive pirate, of course.

She walked throught the town ignoring the yelling around her, wondering how the hell Jack had managed to escape the island and why he was in Port Royal. She thought she'd never see him again. She belived that her heart had forgotten him, but when she saw him again, with his dark eyes and charming smile, the feelings that she had buried deep inside years ago began to return.

She shook her head. " _No, I'm not having these feelings for him again_ ," she thought. " _It's just the young Narissa inside of me that believes I still have them_."


	7. Choosing a Side

When Narissa got home, she found no signs of Will. Therefore, after changing her wet clothes into a long wine red coloured loose skirt and a white sleeveless blouse, she decided to look for him. When he was not at home, it was most likely to find him working and, as Norrington's ceremony had been interrupted by Elizabeth's accident, she knew he could only be at the blacksmith's shop. She was quite sure that she would find him there.

It didn't take long for her to arrive at the shop. She tried to open the door, but it remained closed. She frowned; it couldn't be locked, as it was too early for Mr. Brown to close. She pushed it once more, but it was useless. Maybe it was broken, it had happened before. Sighing, defeated by a door, Narissa turned around and circled the building to get to the back door. This time, she succeeded and she entered the shop, which was quite dark, as usual.

"William, you won't believe what happened today," she said, almost laughing.

She was surprised by Will and Jack fighting each other on top of a wooden cart, Will wielded two swords. None of them seemed to notice her presence, as they were too focused on killing each other. She was not sure if she should intervene; if she joined the fight, she'd have to choose a side and she wasn't sure that she wanted to do that.

She noticed that Jacks chains were shattered, although the shackles were still around his wrists. The chains hanging from his left hand twisted around one of Will's swords, so the boy stabbed the sword up into the ceiling. Jack tried to fight him hopelessly with only one free arm, while Will dodged his sloppy moves. The pirate then stepped onto a wooden plank, which lifted and hit Will on the face, causing him to fall and his sword to fly out of his grasp. With this advantage, Jack hoisted himself up and tried to free himself, using all of his weight to take the sword out of the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Narissa retrieved Will's sword and ran to stand by his side. When he stood up, he looked at her surprised, since he hadn't realised she had arrived. She just smiled and gave him the sword. She could not let him face Jack unarmed. Even if she didn't take part in the fight, she wouldn't let William get hurt.

When Jack finally succeeded on his task of freeing his left arm, his body dropped onto the cart, where Will was already standing, and the young man was flown up to the beams above them. Jack rolled over, but quickly got up on his feet again.

He found Narissa in front of him and tilted his head to one side curiously. "You again?" he asked, to which she just shrugged.

The pirate was so distracted, that he didn't even notice William dropping some barrels down to the cart, which lifted Jack up to the beams, where his opponent was waiting for him. They fought up there for some time, jumping from beam to beam; Narissa found the scene quite funny, Will's movements was graceful and elegant, while Jack's were more clumsy.

Eventually, Will withdrew Jack's sword out of his hand, and Jack jumped down to escape. However, Will was faster and he was already waiting for him. Jack, who stood next to the furnace, quickly took a bag and covered Will with sand, blinding him for some seconds. He kicked his sword out of his hand and reached for his gun, aiming it at Will's head, making Narissa's face drop with fear. The young man was now holding an iron bar as a weapon. He was standing between Jack and the back door, his only escape.

"You cheated," he said perplexed.

"Pirate," Jack replied simply.

This time, Narissa didn't hesitate to choose a side. She quickly moved to stand between the two men, facing the pirate. She extended her arms to cover her friend. "Don't you dare to shoot him!" Her voice was serious, protective, and her eyes darkened.

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. "As you wish, Nari," he told her and Will frowned at the nickname. However, the pirate didn't lower his gun. Instead, he grasped her and forcefully pressed her body against his. He wrapped his left arm around her waist, while his right hand pointed the gun at her head. Will was shocked, his eyes showed worry for the woman he considered his only family.

She gulped, she didn't know if she should be scared or if this was just one of Jack's tricks to escape. Suddenly, they heard men trying to break the door down.

"Let her go! She is not part of this fight," Will ordered, trying to sound threatening.

"Move away," she heard Jack say.

"No," Will replied stubbornly. Narissa looked at her friend hopelessly, silently pleading him to give up and let him go.

As the soldiers were about to open the door, Jack glanced at Narissa sorrowfully for a second and insisted "Please, move." It sounded like he was begging.

"No! I cannot just step aside and let you escape."

"William!" Narissa pleaded, she was actually scared for her life. Will glanced at her, not knowing what was the right thing to do this time, but he didn't step aside.

Jack sighed and cocked his pistol. She couldn't believe what was happening; this wasn't her Jack. The Jack she knew would never hurt her. "This shot is not meant for her." Narissa closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to face death. However, Jack's hold on her was loosen as he got hit on the head with a glass bottle by Mr. Brown, who had just woken up.

Jack fell unconscious just when Norrington's men knocked down the door. Narissa turned around and stared down at the pirate, her eyes were gleaming with tears that had threatened to fall. Was he really going to kill her?

Norrington entered the shop. "Excellent work, Mr. Brown. You've assisted in the capture of a dangerous fugitive."

"Just doing my civic duty, sir." Will looked annoyed at Mr. Brown's words. He never got the credit for his efforts, and this was just another example.

"Well, I trust you will always remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped," Norrington attempted to joke. "Take him away."

Will quickly approached Narissa and embraced her tightly. When she broke the hug, he asked "Are you okay, Narissa?" She nodded. "I'm so sorry I didn't do anything when he pointed his gun at you. I couldn't let him go."

"I understand, William," she whispered, smiling kindly. Norrington and his men were leaving already, carrying Jack with them. Narissa glanced at Jack one last time. "This is what I meant when I told you not to expect your opponent to fight fairly. People will do anything to survive and honesty isn't a common quality among pirates."

"I know, I know... I just was taken aback when he pulled out his pistol." Then, Will remembered the pirate had called her Nari. "How did that pirate know your name?"

His friend hesitated for some seconds, trying to come with a lie. "I was at the docks when Elizabeth's accident happened. He must have heard someone calling me."

"You were there?! What exactly happened?" His face showed concern for the girl he loved.

"She fell into the water. I suppose she fainted because her corset didn't let her breathe. Those things are too damn tight... Anyway, I tried to save her, but her dress was too heavy, so Ja-the pirate jumped in and helped me to save her," she explained. "Then, Norrington came and found out that he was a pirate... And he escaped." She knelt down to pick up the sword which Jack had kicked off Will's hand and left it with the others.

Will seemed confused. "So he saved her and... Then he threatened her?"

She chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "I don't think he was actually going to hurt her, he just used her as a shield to escape, I guess."

Narissa wasn't so sure about what Jack was willing to do to her. Was he actually going to shoot her, or did he just use her as leverage so Will would let him escape? She had been really scared of him. Scared of Jack, who had always taken care of her and protected her. Had he changed so much?

"Well, I am glad that he didn't hurt you. I don't know what I'd do without you," Will said looking at her with his brown eyes full of affection.

Narissa let out a light chuckle, trying to forget the shock of Jack threatening her. "You would do many stupid things without me, William."

Then, she saw something brown out of the corner of her eye; her eyes turned to her left to settle on Jack's tricorn hat next to the swords. She took it a examined it curiously.

"Are you keeping that?" Will asked with a frown.

She smiled and nodded without taking her gaze away from the hat. "Just a little souvenir of my adventure."

 


	8. A Visit

That night, Jack sat on the bench of a prison cell, his back leaned against the wall, trying to sleep. The pirates on the next cell were trying to make the dog that carried the keys approach them, waving a bone at him. It was useless.

He got tired of hearing them. "You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move," he commented.

One of the prisoners told him "Oh, excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet."

Jack simply smiled and closed his eyes, hoping that this night would end soon. He heard soft footsteps approaching. He stood by the locked door and held the bars of his cell, staring at the figure that quietly walked down the stairs in the darkness. When the person came into the light, he recognised Narissa. She was wearing his hat and he didn't know if he should smile at this or be furious. It was his hat, but she looked good with it as well.

As soon as they could see her, the other prisoners started to yell all sort of obscenities at her. Being used to this, she decided to ignore them, hoping that they'd give up if she just didn't pay them any attention.

"What are you doing here?" He tried to sound indifferent, but in fact, as much as he hated it, he was glad that she had gone there to see him.

Narissa removed the brown hat from her head and handed it to him through the bars. "I thought you'd want it back."

Jack took it without hesitation and set it on his head. "How did you get here?"

She smirked proudly. "Murtogg and Mullroy are guarding the prison tonight. I always manage to get what I want from those two."

"How fortunate," he muttered. "So you came down here simply because you wanted to give me my hat back?" he asked with a skeptical expression.

"It's been so long... Ten years." She sighed. "When I saw you today, I couldn't believe my eyes. I needed to talk to you." Narissa glanced at the yelling prisoners for a second and inhaled deeply to calm herself down and not let her rage take control of her. Since she was ignoring them, they had started to shout to her even louder.

That night, Will wouldn't come back home until very late, as he had to clean up the mess that Jack and him had made at the blacksmith's shop, and he still had to do the job he hadn't done in the morning because of Jack's intrusion. Therefore, she decided it would be a good idea to visit her old friend before he was hung the next morning.

Their eyes locked, blue met brown, and Jack felt a sudden urge to hug her tightly and tell her he had missed her terribly, if only those bars weren't standing between them. However, his craving for her disappeared when the memories of what she had done to him ran through his mind, she had betrayed him, he shouldn't have these thoughts.

"How did you end up here, in Port Royal? I would have expected to see you in a place like Tortuga." He eyed her body, her clothes didn't fit in with what most women would wear in a town like that. She herself didn't fit in, she belonged to the sea. "This town doesn't suit you at all," he added.

"That's precisely the reason why I came. Nobody would look for me here. Soon after they left you on that island, I decided to leave the Pearl." Narissa stared down at her feet, remembering that sad day.

"You mean after you tricked me?" Jack asked, taking his eyes off her. His voice was filled with anger, disgust and... Hurt?

Shock flew through her eyes. "Listen, Jack, I-"

"It's 'captain' for you," Jack told her harshly, then lowered the tone of his voice, so the other prisoners wouldn't hear their conversation. "You don't remember? You seduced me, made me believe you loved me, so I'd be distracted when your bloody father mutinied against me." He walked away from her and sat again on the bench, facing the wall instead of her.

Her voice trembled when she tried to explain, shaking her head. "J-" She almost used his name, but corrected herself quickly. "Captain, that's not exactly how it happened."

"Oh, really?" he asked sarcastically.

"You have to let me explain the rest of the story." She was struggling to keep her voice low.

"Listen, Narissa, the noose is waiting for me tomorrow, this could be my last night, so the last thing I want to do right now is listening to your lies," he told her dryly, refusing to look at her.

Defeated, Narissa didn't try to explain her side of the story any more. Jack would be hung in a matter of hours, so there was no use in trying to convince him to forgive her, and it looked like he wouldn't listen anyway. She felt hurt. She was sure that he hated her and he had reasons to. She should have suspected that her father would do something to kill Jack even if she took part in the mutiny.

She was pulled from her own thoughts when she got tired of the prisoners yelling at her. She turned her head to their cell and glared at them angrily, disgusted. Her sweet appearance changed drastically into a dangerous one and, with a harsh dangerous voice, she said "I swear if you all don't shut up, I will shoot your tongues and cut out your cocks, or shoot your cocks and cut out your tongues. Or both things!" Her tone wasn't loud; in fact, it sounded calm, yet threatening, but they all immediately closed their mouths, scared of her.

Narissa turned to the pirate, who was smirking. "Well done. You still frighten men like a hurricane."

She smiled proudly at his words. A worrying thought crossed her mind. "Captain..." Her voice was weak again. "Were you going to shoot me? This morning, at the blacksmith's, were you really going to kill me?"

He stayed silent for a minute or two as she waited patiently for his reply. She needed an answer. It would break her heart to hear him say yes, but she needed to know. The sound of Jack cocking his pistol against her head was still ringing in her ears.

"No," he finally replied simply. When he turned his head and saw her restraining a smile of relief, his eyes and voice softened. "I would never hurt you, Nari."

Before she could tell him anything, the deafening sound of cannon fire reached their ears. In a second, Jack stood up. "I know those guns," he said looking out of a little window of his cell. "It's the Pearl."

Narissa saw the spark in his eyes as he stared at his beloved ship, she recognised the longing in his voice and she felt guilty that he had been separated from the thing he loved most. She realised then that if the Pearl was there, so was her father. He couldn't find her, he'd make her go back to the crew and she refused to work alongside those monsters.

"The Black Pearl?" one of the prisoners asked, his voice shaking with fear. "I've heard stories. She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves survivors."

"No survivors? Then, where do the stories come from, I wonder?" Jack glanced at him smirking, showing his golden teeth.

All of a sudden a cannon blew a hole in the cell next to Jack's. "My sympathies, friend, you've no manner of luck at all. Good day, Miss! Hope I'll see your pretty face soon!" one of the prisoners laughed while he escaped with his mates.

The cannon had left a small hole in Jack's cell, big enough to look through it, but not to escape. He stared at his ship sadly, wanting to be free, to escape the gallows and be reunited with his ship, his treasure.

"You'll get the Pearl back," she reassured him, making him turn around to her. "I know you'll get her back one day, she needs her captain."

Deciding it was time to free himself, Jack picked up a bone and whistled at the dog, who hesitantly walked towards him with the keys between his jaws. Narissa tried to help, urging the animal to get closer. It seemed like they were going to succeed, but the dog ran away at the sudden loud crash that came from the stairs. Another crash was heard and one of the prison guards was thrown down the stairs.

Narissa turned her head towards the origin of such chaos. Suspecting that Barbossa's crewmen were coming, she became very nervous and whispered "They mustn't see me."

She ran and hid under a large bench on a dark corner, just when two pirates entered the prison. Both Jack and Narissa recognised them, they were two of Barbossa's crewmen, they used to work for Jack.

One of them, Twigg, looked around. "This ain't the armory."

The other one, Koehler, saw Jack in the cell and walked towards him. "Well, well, well, look what we have here, Twigg. Captain Jack Sparrow..."

Twigg spit at him. "Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken island, shrinking into the distance, while your little girlfriend cried desperately." He laughed. Jack's eyes flickered for a second to Narissa, hidden under the bench. A thought crossed his mind: He could tell them he knew where Narissa was, so they'd free him somehow, take him to Barbossa and he would negotiate with him: Narissa in exchange for the Pearl; of course Barbossa would want to have his beloved daughter back. However, he immediately dismissed this idea. She didn't want to go back to him, he couldn't do that to her, no matter what she had done to him in the past. "His fortunes haven't improved much," Twigg added.

"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen," Jack told them, clearly disgusted and angry. "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." Koehler grabbed Jack's neck strongly through the bars, Narissa restrained a worried gasp. When the pirate's arm was under the moonlight, their curse was revealed and Jack stared at the skeletal arm. "So there is a curse. That's interesting..."

"You know nothing of Hell," Koehler said, released Jack from his grip and both pirates left.

Once she was sure that they were gone, Narissa left her hiding place and released the breath she had been holding all along.

"Looks like your hanging will be delayed. Maybe you'll get enough time to escape," she said, almost jokingly. Then, she payed attention to the screams of people from the town and felt the urge to assist them. "I must go to the town and help."

"I don't think that's a wise idea, you know they can't die," he warned her, again trying to sound like he didn't care about her safety. He didn't want to care.

"That's why these people need as much help as they can get." She unsheathed her sword and held it proudly.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I hope you still know how to use that," he joked.

She scoffed. "That's insulting. Who do you think trained the boy who almost killed you today?" She laughed and ran out of the prison, leaving a speechless Jack looking through the small hole on the wall of his cell.

He saw her running to town, sword in hand, and smiled. He didn't need to tell her not to get hurt, he knew she would be alright. She was as tough and deadly as any of Barbossa's crewmen.

Jack sighed and layed on the floor. Rubbing his face with his hands, he groaned. "Why does she have to come back to my life now?" he said to himself.


	9. The Beginning of an Adventure

It was a tough night. When Narissa left Jack in prison, she ran to help the people in Port Royal. Of course, she couldn't do much against a crew of undying pirates, but she succeeded at saving some people that couldn't defend themselves, specially children. Narissa was worried the whole time that her father's crewmen would recognise her, and she thought she saw some of them looking at her curiously, like wondering if they knew her. Fortunately, she didn't find herself in trouble; it seemed that they were there for other reason, but why?

At some point of the night, she found William. A pirate was approaching him from behind, raising an axe to stab Will at the back. Narissa threw her sword at the pirate and the blade pierced his throat, pushing him backwards. This gave William enough time to realize that he had been in danger and for Narissa to retrieve her sword from the undead pirate's neck before he attacked again. Will and Narissa stayed together the rest of the night, protecting each other, watching each other's backs.

The young man stopped fighting all of a sudden. "Elizabeth!" he exclaimed and Narissa turned to see what he was looking at. She watched in horror as two pirates carried Elizabeth towards the Black Pearl. She remembered that, earlier that morning, after rescuing her friend, Jack had seen the golden coin hanging from her neck. Of course! That's why Barbossa was there! The gold had called to them and they needed it to break the curse.

Gathering all of his courage, William prepared to run towards the girl and save her. Narissa would have followed him, but both of them were knocked out suddenly by a pirate.

~●~○~●~

Now they both laid on the ground in the middle of the town, somewhere between asleep and unconscious. People glanced at them as they passed by, but nobody did anything to help.

Narissa eventually woke up. She opened her eyes, but closed them quickly when the bright sunlight blinded her. Slowly, she opened them again, resting her hand over her eyes as she sat up. She looked at her right side, where William was still laying next to her sword. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she retrieved her sword and knelt down besides her friend. She reached out to Will's shoulder, shaking him lightly. "William! Wake up!" 

Confused, the blacksmith finally awakened. He looked around, trying to remember where he was and what had happened. When the memories flew through his mind, he tensed and immediately sat up, alarmed. Narissa got on her feet and helped William to stand.

"Elizabeth's gone! The pirates took her!" he exclaimed, his voice held a hint of panic. His breath became heavy and agitated and his brows furrowed with concern.

Narissa rested her hands on his shoulders and searched for his worried eyes. "Take a deep breath, William. Panicking is not going to help Lizzie." He did as she said and she felt his shoulders relax slightly. The woman looked at a big clock on a nearby tower. It was almost nine o'clock. "Commodore Norrington and Governor Swann must be working on something already. Let's see if we can help."

Will nodded and ran as fast as he could towards Norrington's station with Narissa following him close behind. When they arrived, almost out of breath, they found the Commodore and the Governor, together with some soldiers, gathered around a desk studying a large map.

"They've taken her! They've taken Elizabeth!" was the first thing that Will told them. It was like that was the only phrase in his mind.

Without even looking at them, and slightly annoyed by the intrusion, Norrington ordered "Mr.Murtogg, Mr. Mullroy, remove this man and his companion."

When Mullroy approached Narissa, she quickly raised her hand to stop him. "Don't touch me," she warned him, to which he nodded nervously, taking a step back.

"We have to hunt them down. We must save her!" the young man insisted, his voice getting louder, refusing to let Murtogg take him away.

"And where do you propose we start?" Governor Swann interviened. "If you have any information concerning my daughter, please share it." He was clearly troubled about Elizabeth's safety, so it was understandable that he was on edge.

Murtogg then remembered something that the pirate had said and, warily, he said "That Jack Sparrow... He talked about the  _Black Pearl_."

Narissa raised her eyebrows at these words as an idea crossed her mind. Jack's hanging must have been delayed because of Barbossa's attack; she silently thanked her father for unintentionally saving Jack's life. Now she just needed to convince the Commodore to set him free and he'd be safe.

"If he knows where the  _Black Pearl_  is, you could find Elizabeth," she commented.

"Ask him where it is. Make a deal with him. He could lead us to it," Will supported his friend's plan.

Norrington didn't seem to enjoy the idea."No, the pirates who invaded this fort left Sparrow locked in his cell, ergo they are not his allies."

Starting to get upset by the Commodore's refusal, Narissa said "The fact that they aren't his allies doesn't mean that he doesn't know where the ship is. I think we should, at least, ask him about it."

"I refuse to ask for help from a pirate. We will establish their most likely course." Narissa scoffed, she couldn't believe the Commodore's words; he was risking Elizabeth's life only because he was too proud, too arrogant, to admit that he needed help, let alone from a pirate.

Willburied his hatchet in the table, piercing the map, angry. "That's not good enough!" Everyone, including Narissa, seemed shocked by his action.

Norrington had grown tired of the situation and he grabbed Will's arm strongly, taking him aside. Narissa followed them, making sure that the Commodore wouldn't hurt him. "Mr.Turner, you are not a military man, you are not a sailor. You are a blacksmith and this is  _not_  the moment for rash actions," he warned him boldly. Handing him back his hatchet, he added in a lower voice "Do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only man here who cares for Elizabeth."

"Well, it looks like he's the only man willing to do something to save her," Narissa defended William, tired of Norrington's sense of superiority. He simply glared at her and turned around to keep discussing his plans with Governor Swann.

Narissa and Will walked away; he was still agitated. Once the Commodore and the Governor were out of earshot, Will told her determined "I'm going to the prison cells and ask Sparrow about the  _Black Pearl._ "

She smiled at him; the oh-so-honorable man who always made a point of avoiding pirates was going to ask for help from a pirate in order to save the love of his life. Charming. "I'm going with you," she declared.

"He could hurt you, Narissa. He tried to kill you yesterday."

She laughed at her friend's concern, although she found it endearing. "I remind you, William, that he also tried to kill you, and he almost did. If anyone could be in danger, it's you. I'm not letting you go by yourself."

Reluctantly, the blacksmith finally agreed to let her join him. He knew there was no way to convince her otherwise, she could be very stubborn sometimes.

Nobody was guarding the prison when they arrived there since every soldier was working on finding Elizabeth or bringing order back to the town. That seemed more important than making sure that the only pirate left in prison, locked out from his sword and pistol with one single bullet, didn't escape.

Will rushed inside the prison impatiently. "You. Sparrow!"

They found the pirate laying down in his cell, apparently relaxed and unconcerned. "Aye," he simply replied.

"You are familiar with that ship, the _Black Pearl_?"

"I’ve heard of it," Jack answered as he looked at his hand uninterested.

Narissa scoffed and said "We need your help, captain." Jack raised his head to look at Narissa and sent her his famous smirk. " _God, he's still so handsome. Even more than ten years ago,"_ she thought, feeling her heartbeat accelerate under his gaze.

"And how may I serve you, my dear?" 

"Where does it make berth?" Will asked.

He averted his eyes away from the woman to look at Will instead. "Where does it make berth?!" he repeated, surprised that he would be interested in that. "Have you not heard the stories? Or can't your friend tell you?" He nodded at Narissa, who sent him an angry look while William frowned. Jack understood: her friend didn't know that she was a pirate. "Captain Barbossa-" he continued, sounding disgusted. "-and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. It’s an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is." He finished with a proud smirk, letting them know that he, in fact, knew the location of that island.

 **"** The ship’s real enough. Therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?" William insisted.

Jack got back to studying his hand. "Why ask me?"

The boy replied "Because you’re a pirate." as if it was an obvious reason. 

"And you want to turn pirate yourself, is that it?" Jack teased him.

Angrily, Will grasped the bars that kept him separated from the pirate. "Never!" He spat, disgusted and offended by the insinuation. 

Narissa reached a hand to his shoulder and, laughing, she told him "Calm down, lad. He's only trying to get on your nerves."

William met her gaze and instantly relaxed. Jack frowned as he looked at the pair in front of him; they seemed to be very close to each other and he wasn't sure about how he felt about it.

When he let go of the bars, sighing and looking at the floor, Will confessed "They took Miss Swann."

"Oh, so it is that you’ve found a girl!" Jack beamed, glad that the boy wasn't interested in Narissa, although he kept telling himself that he didn't care about her. "I see... Well, if you’re intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady’s heart you’ll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."

"I believe he can get you out of here," Narissa commented. 

"How’s that? The key’s run off."

"I helped build these cells," Will explained. "These are half pin-barrel hinges." He picked up a bench and placed it at the bottom of the cell door. "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free."

The woman looked proudly at her friend's determination, while Jack looked at him thoughtfully, as if he was seeing an old friend.

"What’s your name?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Narissa could see where this conversation was going. 

A bit confused by the sudden question, he answered "Will Turner."

Narissa saw the realisation in Jack's eyes. "That will be short for William, I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt, named for your father, eh?" Yes, he definitely knew.

Will hesitated, but didn't ask questions; they needed to hurry. "Yes."

Narissa could almost see the engines working in Jack's mind, probably coming up with an idea, and she hoped he wasn't planning to do what she thought he was. "Uh-huh... Well, Mr. Turner, Mrs. Murphy..." He smirked jokingly at her fake name while standing up before continuing. "I’ve changed me mind. If you spring me from this cell I swear on pain of death I shall take you to the _Black Pearl_ and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?" He concluded, reaching out a hand between the bars.

Will's eyes lit up with hope and he shook the pirate's hand, almost smiling. "Agreed."

With a triumphant smile, Jack turned to the woman and waited for her to shake his hand. "What about you, dear?"

She suspected that the pirate was planning something that would affect Will and therefore, she needed to protect her friend. Besides, she wouldn't mind enjoying a bit of adventure again, even if it meant facing her father. "I will join you," she stated and shook Jack's hand. As soon as she made contact with his skin, she felt a shiver running through her body. Jack hated the fact that he felt something similar. "Agreed," she concluded.

"Agreed! Get me out," he urged the blacksmith.

With a strong push of the bench, William lifted the door free.

"I don't want to criticize your work, William, but why making cell doors that can be opened so easily?" Narissa joked.

"It's not the right time to discuss this," he replied, trying to hide the fact that he felt offended by her comment.

She kept teasing him. "I'm just saying cell doors are supposed to keep the prisoners  _inside."_ Jack was laughing at their conversation, enjoying the way Narissa was embarrassing the boy.

Will decided to stop the discussion. He was used to her slightly offensive jokes and knew she didn't mean to hurt him.  **"** Hurry! Someone will have heard that," he said nervously, scared that they would get caught. He always followed the rules, he was a respectable person, and he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had to save Elizabeth. He was taking so many risks for her and there was no possibility of changing his mind now.

"Not without my effects," said the captain.

~●~○~●~

Once they left the prison, Narissa told her companions "William needs to take a sword. I don't think he will survive long with only his hatchet."

Jack nodded, finding her reasoning sensible enough, so the three of them headed to the blacksmith's shop. The pirate glanced at his sides from time to time, in case any soldiers were around.

In the shop, Will chose one of the best swords he had ever made; it was the one he usually used to practice.

Before they left, the young man said "Wait! I want to give you something, Narissa."

Both pirates frowned while Will found something hidden between some tools. Although it was covered by a blanket, they could see it was a sword. He revealed it for her and she felt a knot in her throat when she saw what was possibly the most beautiful sword she had ever seen.

"I've worked on this for weeks. It took even more time than the Commodore's." He laughed nervously. "I wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but I'm not sure that we'll be here for that."

He handed the sword to her and she held it delicately. It was light and balanced, yet strong. He knew blue was her favourite colour, so the handle was decorated with some blue crystals. A small anchor was engraved on the handle, a symbol of the sea. Her friend knew that she loved the ocean and sailing. She loved swordfighting and she had always told William that he made the best swords she had seen, and the detail of the anchor... After unsheathing her old sword and settling the new one in its place, Narissa jumped into his arms and hugged him strongly. Will returned her embrace and laughed, happy that she loved his gift so much. She didn't need to talk to express her gratitude, not only for the sword, but also for all the years of friendship and support. She couldn't find the right words anyway, the present had left her speechless. 

Jack looked at the couple with a frown, he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable; even though it was obvious that the blacksmith didn't have his eyes on Narissa, since he was in love with the Swann girl, that didn't mean she didn't feel something for him. They really were close...

Slightly annoyed, he said "Will you stop this now? We need a ship!" The two friends broke their hug and nodded at him.

A rush of adrenaline run through Narissa, this was the beginning of a new adventure. She couldn't wait to sail again. Jack hadn't only come back to confuse her feelings, but also to make her realise how much she wanted to be a pirate again.


	10. Against the Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any spelling or grammar mistake.  
> And thanks so much for the comments and the kudos!

She couldn't believe what they were doing, but she loved the rush of adrenaline running through her. Peeking out from beneath a bridge near the busy docks, Narissa and Will looked around nervously, keeping a sharp eye in case any sailor caught them. Beyond the docks, a vast ship, the  _Dauntless_ , dominated the waters. Jack stared at it as his mind produced one of his complicated plans.

"We're going to steal a ship?" Will asked before his eyes followed the pirate's gaze to look at the  _Dauntless_. "That ship?"

"Commandeer. We're going to commandeer that ship," he corrected, pointing at the  _Interceptor_  instead. "Nautical term."

"It's still against the law," the young man protested.

Narissa sighed and said "So is breaking a man out of jail. The law is the least of our concerns right now. Just enjoy the experience, William." She grinned, excited about the adventure that was ahead of them.

Jack smiled at her words, sensing her yearning for the sea. He was glad that she was behind him, so she couldn't see that she had made him smile. "Listen to Nari, boy, she's the only one speaking some sense." Then, he erased his smile and turned around, giving Will a critical look. "One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. This girl? How far are you willing to go to save her?"

Without a glimpse of hesitation, he replied "I'd die for her."

The pirate seemed relieved by his answer and he turned around again to study the docks. "Oh, good. No worries, then."

Narissa stood by his side. "So..." She leaned into his ear. "Do you have a plan already?"

He gave her a side glance and smirked; then, when nobody was around, he signaled his companions to follow him towards a group of fishing boats that rested upside down on the beach.

"What are we doing?" Will asked quite confused when Jack told him to get under one of those boats.

"Trust me, this will work," the captain reassured him.

Narissa knew that Jack was a clever man and his bizarre ideas usually worked, like his escape from Norrington the previous day, but she was a bit skeptical about this. "Have you done this before, captain?"

"Aye! Why is it so difficult for you two to do as I say?" He was growing impacient, since a group of soldiers were approaching.

Hesitantly, Will and Narissa got under the fishing boat. Jack followed and settled at the front. When they couldn't hear the footsteps of the nearby soldiers, they decided that the area was clear and rised up the boat, carrying it into the water. Surprisingly, they were able to walk along the ocean floor. The water reached their shoulders, but a bubble of air beneath the boat hull allowed them to breathe with no problem.

They walked in a row with Willi at the back and Narissa in front of him, following Jack's lead. Will was amazed by the fact that Jack's idea was actually working, as well as Narissa. "This is either madness, or brilliance," he commented.

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide," Jack told him.

Narissa, however, wasn't paying much attention to their conversation, as the water was lifting her long skirt and she was struggling to keep it down. William, who walked behind her, forced his eyes away from her legs, being the gentleman he always was.

"I should have changed into some trousers," she muttered to herself.

It was at that moment that Jack turned his head and noticed her problem. Smirking, he said "I don't mind this view, honestly." His smirk only grew wider when she looked down embarrassed while William glared at him. Jack thought that Narissa had really beautiful legs. Who was he trying to fool? He thought that all of her was beautiful, even if he didn't admit it to himself.

Narissa noticed that they were not approaching the  _Interceptor_. In fact, they were heading to the  _Dauntless_. Frowning, she asked the pirate in front of her "If we are supposed to commandeer the  _Interceptor_ , why are we going to the  _Dauntless_?"

Slightly annoyed, Jack replied "It's all part of the plan. Just follow me and do as I say." She didn't bother to ask more questions; the only thing she could do was trust him and hope that whatever plan he had in mind would work.

All of a sudden, Will's foot stepped down on a crab trap that rested at the bottom of the sea. The trap caught on his foot and he had to walk carrying it on his leg. Narissa giggled at the situation and Jack's heart fluttered at the sound of her laugh. He shook his head, hating that she had made him feel like that. " _You don't like her, Jack, not again. She's dangerous_ ," he thought. He didn't really enjoy the idea of Narissa joining them; what if he betrayedhim again?

Will had managed to get rid of the trap by the time they reached the  _Dauntless_. The group climbed up the back of the hull of the ship silently. Jack was the first to jump over the rail and stand on the deck. After him, Narissa followed. She was at the top when she tried to jump onto the ship, but her wet hands slipped. She thought she'd fall into the water, making everyone aware of their presence, but Jack caught her arm quickly and pulled her towards him. Holding her by the waist, Jack helped her to get onto the ship. She thanked him quietly, ignoring the tingling sensation in her stomach, and he simply nodded his head in reply. Will arrived soon after.

William and Narissa wielded their swords, while Jack held his pistol. The two friends followed the pirate as he walked down the stairs towards the main deck, where Captain Gillette was supervising the sailors; the  _Dauntless_  was under his command.

"Everybody stay calm. We're taking over the ship!" Jack said quite calmly, causing Gillette to turn around.

Will jumped down onto the main deck and shouted "Aye! Avast!"

Both Jack and Narissa turned their heads and gave him a look of disbelief and Will seemed confused by their reaction. The sailors looked at them silently for a second, but soon burst out laughing.

Narissa sighed at her friend. "Don't do that again."

Gillette said quite cheerful "This ship cannot be crewed by two men and... A woman. She won't be much help, anyway." He glanced at Narissa raising his eyebrows and held back another laugh, angering her. "You'll never make it out of the bay."

Before Narissa could walk towards Gillette and punch him, Jack took a step forward and extended an arm to stop her and keep her behind him. "Son," he pointed his pistol at Gillette's nose. "...I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Then, he cocked the pistol. "Savvy?"

The sailors and their captain stood speechless, not knowing exactly how to react to that, so Jack kept talking "Now, unless you want the pretty lady that you've just angered to slice you up, I suggest you all get into the longboat and let us manage to get the ship out of the bay by ourselves. What says ye'?" He finished with a huge smile.

They now were scared, but didn't dare to move their muscles, so Narissa shouted impatiently "MOVE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, BLOODY SLOW SCUMBAGS?" while taking a few angry steps forward and threatening them with her sword. They immediately got into the longboat and roared away from the ship.

Narissa laughed at their success as she heard Gillette shout from the boat "Sir, they've taken the  _Dauntless_! Commodore! They've taken the ship! Sparrow, Murphy and Turner, they've taken the  _Dauntless_!"

"Good job, Nari," Jack congratulated her. "Let's move on with part two of the plan. Turner! Work on those sails! Pretend we're preparing to set sail."

"Pretend? But we have to set sail," he commented, confused.

"I already told you: We're commandeering the  _Interceptor_ , not the  _Dauntless_. This is just a part of the plan." With that, Will obeyed and waved the forward sail.

Jack leaned on the wheel relaxed and Will ran up the stairs towards him, worried. "Here they come."

Jack turned around and smiled while the  _Interceptor_  sailed towards them quickly. However, his smile fell when he noticed their female companion wasn't around to be seen. "Where's Nari?" Will looked around and simply shrugged.

Soon, Norrington's ship was upon the  _Dauntless_ , where the three criminals were hiding, waiting for the right moment to aboard the Interceptor. Grappling hooks were thrown to the  _Dauntless_ , joining the two ships together so the sailors could climb and swing across.

"Search every cabin, every hold, down to the bilges!" ordered Norrington once he had set foot on the  _Dauntless_.

Now that the  _Interceptor_  was empty, Narissa joined Will and Jack, who looked at her questioningly, as she had disappeared for a few minutes. They all used ropes to swing over to the other ship, unseen. Will found it weird that his best friend seemed to know very well what she was doing; had she told him about her past, he would have known that she had done this before.

Once they were on the  _Interceptor_ , which had been prepared by the navy to sail, Narissa ordered "William, cut the ropes!" The young man obeyed and cut the hooks that were binding the two ships together using his hatchet. The ships started drifting apart quickly.

When Norrington turned to see the  _Interceptor_  moving away, it was too late. Some sailors tried to swing back to the ship without success.

Jack waved his hat at Norrington from the wheel of the fast  _Interceptor_ , laughing. "Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way! We would have had a hard time of it by ourselves!"

Next to him, Narissa was laughing so much that her belly started to hurt. Jack's plan was successful, which didn't surprise her. She admired his wit and his skills in the art of improvisation. When she saw Norrington's men getting ready to fire their guns at them, Narissa knelt down and reached for Jack's hand to pull him down with her. He thanked her when the sound of gunshots filled the air.

"You saved me from falling from the ship, now I save you from being shot. We're square," she told him.

When they were out of danger, they stood up as Jack looked back at the  _Dauntless_  one last time and murmured "It's strange that they aren't firing their cannons at us to sink this ship."

Narissa's laugh became louder and she explained "Maybe they can't turn the wheel because  _someone_ disabled the rudder chain..." Mischief shone in her blue eyes. Jack's eyes widened and he laughed, he looked at her in disbelief. So that's what she had been doing during those minutes that she had disappeared! Something sparked in his eyes. He had always thought Narissa was a very clever person; it almost scared him that one day she would outsmart him.

With a deep sigh, Narissa closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the ocean as the stolen ship cut the waves. She smiled. She was back home, back at the sea. She could taste the freedom already as the wind ran through her brown hair and the sun warmed her skin. Even though she was aware that this adventure would lead her to her father, she was glad that she had joined the trip. Jack watched her, smiling unconsciously at her happiness. He knew she loved sailing more than anything, just like he did, and seeing her so relaxed and satisfied gave him a warm feeling that scared him.


	11. Revealed Secrets

Standing at the wheel, Jack stared at the woman he used to love as she talked joyfully with her friend on the main deck, while Will sharpened his sword. Sailing with her again made him feel in a peculiar way. He didn't want to be betrayed again, but he couldn't deny that he had missed having her on his ship.

She always managed to light up everyone's day, filling the atmosphere around her with joy and cheering up even the worst-tempered sailors with her jokes and her carefree attitude. Moreover, she was a hard-working dedicated pirate. She could do the job of two men in half the time without mistakes, executing her captain's orders with no hesitation. He had to thank Barbossa for her obedience.

The captain wondered what Narissa had been doing during the last ten years. He couldn't imagine her life without the ocean and, by the satisfied look on her face which he had seen when they had finally set sail, he could tell that she had missed the sea terribly. It didn't surprise him at all; he had always compared her to the ocean: A beautiful image, but a wild soul; apparently innocent and calmed, until you fathomed her depths and discovered that there was something dangerous about her. And still, for some unknown reason, she was soothing.

Narissa without the sea... It just wasn't right. She belonged there, above the waves.

He could still hear her soft voice whispering " _I'm sorry_ " against his ear, the  _click_  of the shackles being locked around his wrists, the yells of his crewmen, his heart pounding inside his chest like a drum. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong for her to turn against him like that; he thought that he had treated well, that she had feelings for him just like he did for her. Everything had been a lie: her laughs, her flirtatious ways, her blushing cheeks, her compliments... 

Jack had got lost in his own thoughts and was pulled back to the real world upon hearing Narissa laughing at something that Will had said. He wondered how did Barbossa's daughter end up being such a close friend with Turner's son; it was a strange coincidence. He tied a rope to the wheel to keep the ship steady, left the helm and walked towards the main deck. 

"How did you two meet?" he asked, apparently indifferent, while he tightened a line.

He was expecting Narissa to tell the story, but Will was the one who explained instead, while he kept sharpening the sword. "When I was a lad living in England, my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father..." He stopped to glance at Jack, waiting for him to confess that he knew his father, as he had noticed back at the prison. Seeing that the pirate didn't react, in fact he didn't look interested at all, he continued. "I was caught stealing some bread once, that's when I met Narissa. She payed for the bread and took me to her house, I've lived there since then. I had no home, no family, no job, no money... She saved me." Narissa smiled at him fondly as he talked.

"Is that so?" Jack asked, uninterested. It didn't surprise him that Narissa had helped a poor boy in need, as he was aware that she hadn't had an easy childhood.

Jack moved down the ship, Will stopped sharpening his sword and sheathed it. "My father. Bill Turner?" He followed him along the deck. Walking after him, Narissa took at deep breath, getting ready for the conversation that she knew was unavoidable. Meanwhile, Jack knelt down to tie some other ropes. "At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack." A short pause. "You knew my father."

Jack stayed silent for a moment, as he considered his reply. He sent a quick glance to Narissa, who nodded her head encouraging him to tell Will about his father.

Eventually, he decided to settle on the truth, or at least part of the truth. Standing up and facing the young man, he confessed "I knew him. Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him 'Bootstrap' or 'Bootstrap' Bill."

"'Bootstrap?'" Will repeated while Jack walked away from him towards the wheel, where he got rid of the rope he had tied.

"Good man, good pirate." Will's eyes widened at the last word, he frowned. Jack turned his head to look at him. "I swear you look just like him."

Narissa would have smiled hadn't she been so afraid of Will's coming reaction. It was true that he was the spitting image of his father; as time passed by, she could see him becoming almost identical to Bill, and not only in appearance. His honest soul and kind behaviour was undoubtedly an inheritance from his father.

"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law," Will protested, offended, which didn't surprise her. She wasn't hoping that he'd accept it.

Jack was losing his patience. "He was a bloody pirate! A scallywag." And he focused again on steering the wheel.

"William, you have to believe him," Narissa intervened, giving her friend an apologizing look. "He's not lying."

He looked at her, shock written on his face as he reached a terrible realization. "You also knew him? And you never told me?!"

She was going to apologize, to explain her reasons, but Jack talked again. "And why would she tell you? It doesn't look like you're very fond of pirates. You would have handed her to the authorities or tried to kill her."

She didn't even dare to look at Will and see the disappointment in his eyes, so she stared down at the wooden floor. Will connected the dots: She never told him about her past, about her family, about how she knew so much about sailing and fighting... That was why she knew those pirate stories that Elizabeth liked so much! He had thought they were simple fantasy, but in fact she was a pirate!

"My father-" Will held his sword and leveled it at Jack, trying to ignore that his best friend for eight years was part of the worst scum in the world. "-was not a pirate!" It was like he was trying to convince himself even though, deep down, he knew it was true.

Jack didn't even bother to turn around. He brought his head back in annoyance. "Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again," he said calmly.

"You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you." He was getting more and more furious by each second. Narissa sighed: There was William again with his bloody rules.

Jack turned again. "Then there's not much incentive for me to fight fair then, is it?" He turned the wheel strongly, making the sail swing around and slam Will in his chest. His sword clattered onto the deck as he was swept off the ship, leaving him hanging above the water.

"William!" Narissa shouted in a protective way. "Jack! Let him down!" She walked forward in an attemp of helping her friend, but Jack held her by her waist and pressed her against him, making her groan in anger.

He picked up Will's sword and pointed it at him. "Now as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these: What a man can do. And what a man can't do." Narissa wouldn't stop moving around to free herself from Jack's strong grip, so he set her free and held the wheel again. "For instance: you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man... or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that some day. Now me, for example, I can let you drown..."

Narissa looked alarmed. "No, you can't!"

Jack sent her a look that told her to be quiet, to relax and to trust him. "But I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy? And besides, dear Nari would skin me alive if I dropped you." He looked at her and she gave him a single confident nod. "So..." Jack smiled at her and swinged the sail back, making Will fall on his back on the deck. He pointed Will's sword at his face. "Can you sail under the command of a pirate..." Flipping the sword, he offered it to him. "...or can you not?"

Still on his back, Will stared at the sword and took it from him. "Tortuga?" he guessed.

"Tortuga," Jack replied with a smile. Then, he glanced at Narissa, who seemed uneasy. "Now, I suppose you two have a lot to talk about, so I'll leave you alone. Mind the wheel!" And with that, he left to the captain's cabin.

Narissa waited for thousands of questions and accusations to leave Will's mouth. "You always knew who was my father?" It was a statement more than a question. She nodded, not looking at him, just listening to his furious voice. "And you are a pirate?!" He spat the last word, sounding disgusted.

"I was," have corrected. "I gave up on that life years ago." But she knew that she would always be a pirate, even if she denied it.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" His voice held a sad tone; didn't she trust him enough to tell him something like that?

"I really wanted to tell you, William, but since the day we met you've told me how much you hate pirates. I didn't want you to- " She gulped to untie the knot in her throat before continuing. "- to push me away."

Will, once again, was offended by these words. "Do you think I would have pushed you away or sent you to the authorities if you had told me? You're like my sister, Narissa!" he shouted the last part.

"I was afraid, alright?" She seemed pained, and Will looked at her astonished. Ever since they met, she had never been scared of anything or anyone. "Before you arrived, I had been alone for two years. I had nobody until I met you, and I didn't want to be alone again." An uncomfortable silence settled between them. "I suppose I should have told you about me, about your father... I am sorry, but I was protecting myself."

The boy nodded in understanding, looking down at his hands. "Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

She rested a hand on his shoulder. "There are so many things you don't know, I could write a book," she replied with a nervous laugh. "But I don't want to tell you right now."

She stormed off, leaving him behind with an expression that mixed confusion, curiosity and pain. Narissa didn't have the heart to tell him about what had happened to his father, and she didn't think she was brave enough to confess that hers was Elizabeth's kidnapper.

Standing at the wheel, Will stared at her as she left. She had been his best and only friend for years, his sister, and all of a sudden, it felt like he didn't know her at all, like they had just met. Who was she? How could he trust her if she was almost a stranger? Did she know where was his father?

~●~○~●~

That night, Narissa sat at the crow's nest, singing under her breath that song that Elizabeth had taught her. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me..."

Will had left to sleep, they had avoided each other the rest of the day. He needed time to think and she, ironically, wanted to be alone.

She looked up at the few shiny stars that weren't hidden by the remaining wisps of clouds. The beautiful moon shaped like a C dominated the dark sky and left its reflection on the waves. She stopped singing, took a deep breath and closed her eyes, bringing her head back and focusing all of her attention on the sound of the water crushing against the hull. She enjoyed the feeling of the soft breeze caressing her hair, which she had let loose. 

She felt satisfied, almost happy. Setting a pirate out of jail, commandeering a navy's ship, sailing, heading to Tortuga... Piracy may have not been an honest way of living, but she had certainly missed all of this. It gave her a sensation of adventure, danger... Freedom. For the first time in years, she felt free.

The relaxing sound of the water would have made her fall asleep, if a velvety voice hadn't pulled her out of her peaceful state. "I knew I'd find you up here." She opened her eyes to find Jack climbing onto the crow's nest.

"Am I that predictable?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "I wish you were." Then, with a nostalgic tone, he added "You always loved this place."

They both smiled while looking at each other. They didn't need to speak to know what they both where thinking about.

**[10 years before]**

_A young Narissa giggled at the crow's nest as she playfully smacked the pirate besides her on his chest. "Stop it, Jackie! You're going to make me blush!" was her reply to one of her captain's compliments. She would never get used to the attention he gave her._

_"Oh, but you're blushing already, luv," he whispered to her, with his left arm wrapped around her shoulders. Even though it was dark, the moonlight allowed him to see her cheeks redden even more. He smirked at the effect he had on her._

_Narissa took the bottle of rum that was settled between them and had a long sip. She had tried the golden liquid for the first time a few days before and, although it had burned her throat at first, she was starting to enjoy its strong yet sweet taste, as well as well the warmth that settled in her chest after every gulp._

_Her gaze fell to the mark in the shape of a P on Jack's right wrist. She had never asked him about it, but she could see that it had been burned on his skin. She warily traced it with her finger and she noticed him stiffen slightly at the contact. It wasn't a recent mark, so it couldn't hurt, so she thought that maybe his reaction was connected to an emotional ache._

_She lifted her gaze to meet his warm eyes. "You've never told me about this mark."_

_"It's a long story, and not a very nice one." His voice was just just a whisper, barely noticeable, and held a sad tone._

_"I have plenty of time to listen."_

_He hesitated for some seconds, he had never told anybody about it, but the expecting look of her blue eyes convinced him. He could trust her. "I wasn't always a pirate, y'know? I worked once for the East India Trading Company." Narissa laughed loudly, not believing his words, but the look he sent her said that he was not joking. She immediately stopped laughing, so he kept talking. "I was told to deliver some cargo to Cutler Beckett on my ship, the Wicked Wench. When I received the cargo, I discovered that-" he stopped, as if it hurt him to remember and words were difficult to form. Narissa rubbed his back in circles, helping him to ease his pain. "- they were slaves. Men, women, children, elders... It was wrong, I couldn't take part in something like that. So I decided to set them free." Narissa drew a sad smile; if she didn't admire him yet, she certainly did now. "When Beckett found out, he burned this mark, branding me as a pirate." He glanced down at his wrist. "Piracy was my only option then. Now I think that is a more honest way of living than working for those monsters."_

_Narissa understood everything then. Jack's obsession with freedom was linked to those slaves he had set free. But there was still one question in her mind. "What happened to the Wicked Wench?"_

_Jack sighed. "That's another story for another day." She didn't press the matter; it looked like it was hard for him to explain. But he never got the chance to tell her._

_Leaving the glass bottle on the floor, she circled her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "You're a good man, Jackie."_

_He was taken aback by her choice of words. He had been called many things: bastard, evil, selfish, liar... But never "good man". Wrapping his arms around her waist, he locked his eyes with hers and he saw a spark of something in them. Respect? Admiration? Maybe even love? He didn't dare to guess._

_"You're a wonderful woman, Nari." His gaze flickered down to her lips. "A very beautiful woman." He realised, as he stared into her stormy blue eyes, that he had very strong feelings for her. Feelings he had never felt before. "And it's not just your appearance that is beautiful."_

_Her hand reached out to caress his cheek and chin, where a short beard was hanging. He really was handsome. His heartbeat accelerated as her face slowly leaned closer to his. He was nervous. A woman was making captain Jack Sparrow nervous! That was new._

_Their breaths intertwined and he could almost taste the rum from her mouth, less than an inch away from his. They closed their eyes and finally, they joined their lips. It wasn't lustful or needy. In fact, it was almost innocent. Slow, soft, even romantic. Jack had never kissed a woman like that, but he was loving every second of it. A fire was burning inside of him. As they kissed, he wondered how could she make him feel like that, like he was flying, like an actual sparrow._

_Jack's lips were warm and soft, they held the taste of rum and salt from the sea, and she felt them curve up into a small smile against her mouth. A shiver, a lightning, ran through her spine when his tongue caressed her lips, asking for permission to enter her mouth. She allowed him to do as he pleased, afraid at first that she was messing up, since she hadn't been kissed before. But, hearing no complaints from him, her worries faded away and she melted into the kiss as his experienced tongue moved against hers._

_Experienced... It was no secret that Jack had been with many more women than most men, despite being only twenty-five, and he had quite a reputation in every port for being a seducer, especially in Tortuga. The thought troubled her and she broke the kiss; Jack kept his eyes closed for a second, revealing a lazy satisfied smile. Had she also fallen into his trap? No, she wouldn't be one of those silly girls that he could deceive so easily._

_Without any other word, she climbed down the crow's nest, leaving Jack up there staring down at her with many questions in his mind._

_The following day, none of them mentioned the kiss. However, this didn't change the fact that, although she didn't want to, Narissa was desperately in love with Jack Sparrow._

**[back to the present]**

Jack sat down next to her. "I understand why you didn't tell the whelp about you... But what about his father?"

"I don't think I can tell him what they did to Bill." She knew he deserved to know, and it would be wrong if he found out from another person, but she didn't have the heart to tell him.

"Such a cruel fate," Jack said shaking his head. He actually felt sorry for the only person who had defended him.

"How do you know? It happened after the mutiny."

"Rumours run fast," he explained and she nodded. "Worst things happen to honest men, mark my words." He knew what he was talking about. Doing good deeds always ended up bad for him: He set those slaves free and he was branded, he wanted to share the treasure equally with his crew and there was a mutiny, he saved Elizabeth and Narissa from drowning and they sent him to prison. What was the point of being honest? 

"I'm afraid that William will face a similar destiny if he follows his father's steps," she commented, looking up at the stars once again. "He's too honest to survive."

"You really fancy the boy, right?" Jack muttered, seeing her sad eyes while talking.

"What?!" She turned her head to him, eyes wide open. Then, she let out a loud laugh. "You disappoint me, captain. I thought you could read women like a book."

"Not so easy with you, dear. And I was never good at reading." She didn't say anything, so he insisted "So you don't fancy him?"

"No! I know it sounds really cliché, but he's like a brother to me." She smiled proudly,

Cocking his head to one side, he asked "Why did you join us, then?"

"Well, Miss Swann is a good friend, but..." A pause, a sigh. "Honestly, I want to protect William. I feel like it's my responsibility, since his father was always good to me."

"So the fact that you haven't sailed in years has nothing to do with it?" he asked her with his famous smirk resting on his face.

"I guess I was craving for some adventure..." He raised an eyebrow and she groaned. "Alright, I confess: I missed piracy! I was dying on land!" 

"You're welcome, then, for taking you back to the ocean," he exclaimed, causing her to smile. She was glad that Jack was back in her life, and not only for giving her the opportunity to sail again. He gave her a feeling of happiness, of joy, that maybe was nothing but a mere memory of her youth, but she loved it anyway. 

"Now, I'll go to sleep before I drift off up here and I fall on deck," she said standing up and he laughed. "Oh, I never got to thank you for saving Lizzie and me from drowning. Thanks."

"Any time, Nari." 

Jack looked up at her, glowing under the moonlight with her wild brown hair flying around her head. He hated how incredibly beautiful she looked.

He hated the warm sensation in his stomach when she smiled, and the way his heart pounded when she was close to him.

He hated that she was awakening these feelings again.

He hated that he couldn't hate her despite what she had done, no matter how much he tried.

He hated all of it because it scared him.

This was not going to be an easy journey.


	12. Forgive and Forget

It was their second day at sea and they hadn't had any trouble with the weather or with the navy so far? Was Norrington following them, or was he more focused on finding Elizabeth?

Will decided that it was time to talk. He approached Narissa, who stood by the railing of the ship. He stayed next to her with his hands folded behind his back, but didn't say anything for a long minute. The atmosphere tensed between them, silence filled the air. She couldn't stand it anymore, if he had something to tell her, he couldn't keep her waiting.

"If you're going to say that you hate me, go on. You're not the only one in the ship who does." She glanced at Jack, who stood behind the wheel, holding the compass in his left hand. She had noticed his angry glances and glares from time to time. He hated her, she was convinced. And why wouldn't he? She would also hate herself; in fact, she already did. She reached for the sword that Will had made for her. "You can take it. I don't want it if I disgust you so much," she told him with a trembling voice. Her gaze didn't leave the sea, refusing to look at him. She feared that she would break down in front of him if she did.

Will frowned and shook his head. "That was a gift. I won't take it back. I..." He sighed. "I have cleared up my mind. In the last eight years, you have never given me any reason not to trust you. Besides, you said that you left piracy... So I don't see you as a pirate." He looked down at her, smiling, but her eyes were fixed on the horizon. "You're my sister, I could never hate you."

Eventually, she gathered all of her courage and tore her eyes away from the landscape, she looked at him with a sad smile. "I'm glad that you still appreciate me, but I will always be a pirate." She sheathed the sword back. "If you can't love me being a pirate, you can't love me at all."

She walked away from him and climbed up to the crow's nest; she suspected she would spend a lot of time there as long as her friendship with Will kept falling apart. She hadn't expected him to accept her, but it was hurting her. She could not deny it: She was a pirate, she would always be; and the more time she spent at sea, the more she loved it. It was in her blood, in her soul. This was what she was born to do. To sail the seven seas, to explore, to escape, to steal, deceive, raid, to break the rules. To be free.

It really pained her that Will didn't approve of this, it felt like he didn't approve of her happiness. Maybe one day he would understand that being a pirate didn't necessarily mean being a bad person, but that didn't seem to happen any time soon; he even refused to believe it was also in his blood. She was losing everyone she cared for: Starting with her mother's death, then betraying Jack, leaving her father, and now she was losing William too... Maybe she was made to be alone.

Will sighed as his friend walked away. He turned around to look at the captain, who was at the helm. Narissa said that he hated her. He frowned; had they met before?

Walking towards him with large quick steps, he said "Sparrow!" The pirate sent him a short glance, letting him know that he was listening. "You and Narissa, did you know each other before all of this happened?"

Jack had been expecting to be asked that question sooner or later. "Aye. I used to be 'er captain before she left the sea."

"Why did she leave?"

Jack lifted his head to look at the woman standing at the top of the mast. "Things 'appened," was his simple reply. He could tell him the whole truth, he could warn him to be careful with that traitor, but he didn't. Narissa was very fond of Will and she needed his trust; he wouldn't destroy that.

The young Turner wasn't satisfied with his answer, but he didn't press the matter. He could see that their history wasn't a nice one. Whatever happened between them in the past didn't end well.

~●~○~●~

The following day, they arrived at Tortuga. They anchored the _Interceptor_ at the docks and, as soon as they set foot on land, Narissa looked around with a mixture of disgust and nostalgia, as the strong smell of alcohol filled her nostrils, making her stomach twist. 

She wasn't very fond of Tortuga, she didn't like the atmosphere that rested there. It was full of drunken men, desperate for attention from any woman who showed an inch of skin. Women had to be careful, so they usually didn't walk alone, and those who did were most likely looking for male company, whether it was for money or for fun, or for both. Violence and yells could be found everywhere. It wasn't rare to see people trying to kill each other for reasons that they couldn't even remember. Narissa almost laughed upon seeing a man being thrown over a balcony. 

It was definitely not her favourite place, but something about it didn't allow her to hate it. It was the only town in which pirates didn't have to worry about the navy, about getting caught, about running away. There was no wonder they loved that port so much. It gave them the opportunity to relax, and they didn't waste it. Violence, sex, fun... A place to enjoy the pleasures of life, to allow that primitive animal instinct to take control for once.

When she was a kid, she had spent three years of her life there, waiting for the moment that her father would show up. Not the best place for a child, especially a being alone. She had cut her hair short in order to look like a boy, it was safer. It wasn't until she met Barbossa that she let it grow again, since she had his protection. 

As they walked through a narrow street, Jack commented "More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy?" With a swift move, he stole a cane from a man who passed by. "What do you think?" he asked Will.

"It'll linger," he replied.

Satisfied enough with his answer, Jack turned to Narissa with a smile. "Missed this, Nari?" 

Narissa looked with disgust at a man on the ground, covered by rum that was streaming from a barrel, while he drunk more rum. "Strangely, I did miss this."

Jack's smile became larger and he turned to Will again. "I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted." Right then, he spotted a redheaded woman, whose face was full of make-up, walking towards him. She certainly didn't seem glad to see him. "Scarlett!" he exclaimed, quite happy. However, the woman greeted him with a slap, making his head turn around. Narissa stifled her laugh. As Scarlett stormed off without a word, he muttered "Not sure I deserved that." He turned around again, as a blond woman, covered with as much make-up as Scarlett, approached him. Her expression didn't seem friendly either. "Giselle!" His voice sounded nervous.

"Who was she?" she asked with a high pitched voice.

"Wha-?" He didn't even have time to finish the word, as he received another slap, harder than the previous one. Narissa wasn't able to restrain herself anymore, she laughed loudly, Will seemed amused by the situation. "I may have deserved that," the pirate admitted. 

When she managed to stop her laughter, Narissa asked "Is this why you love Tortuga so much? It certainly is fun." Jack rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face at seeing her laugh.

Will asked "What did you do to those girls anyway?" although he had a slight idea of the answer. 

"I think it's quite obvious," said Narissa, a slight tone of disgust in her voice. She knew Jack's reputation and she didn't like it; she suspected that he had wanted to treat her the same way when they were young.

Jack smirked at he way she said that. "Are you jealous of them, Nari?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why would I be? Maybe you want me to be jealous..."

Will was feeling rather uncomfortable, so he intervened. "Shouldn't we be looking for a crew?"

"Aye!" Jack exclaimed. "Fortunately, you know the man who knows a man who knows the best sailors that can be found," he added, walking in front of them so they would follow him.

~●~○~●~

A man slept on the floor with his head resting on a pig, he was snoring loudly. Narissa's face twisted at the smell that filled the air. The man was wearing a navy's jacket, except the sleeves had been ripped out, symbolising that he was a traitor for the British navy. 

Suddenly, it hit her: It was Mr. Gibbs! She hadn't seen him in such a long time, and the room was so dark and his face so dirty, that she hadn't recognised him at first. She had met him a few times when she worked for Jack and she liked him, he was nice to talk to. Mr. Gibbs wasn't part of Jack's crew then; if he had been, he probably would have faced the same fate as Bootstrap, as Jack and him were good friends.

Jack threw a bucket of water at him, making him wake up with a jump. "Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" he shouted with his fist raised and his face angered. Then, he saw his old friend in front of him, and his expression changed into one of pure joy. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck." Narissa rolled her eyes; he hadn't changed much, still obsessed with luck.

"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it." Jack knelt down in front of him. "The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking."

Gibbs pondered his confusing words, until he accepted Jack's offer. "Aye, that'll about do it." Jack helped him to stand, and Will threw another bucket of water at him. "Blast! I'm already awake!" he shouted annoyed.

"That was for the smell," Will reasoned. Jack and him looked at each other strangely. Narissa laughed loudly when Gibbs nodded in acceptance. 

Mr. Gibbs' eyes widened when he noticed who was standing next to Jack. "Maybe I am still sleeping. Slap me thrice if I am dreaming. Is this the young Narissa?"

She smiled widely. "Not so young anymore. It's nice to see you again, Joshamee."

He looked between her and Jack, wondering what they were doing together. He knew what she had done to him, Jack had told him, and he knew that the captain didn't forgive easily.

~●~○~●~

They entered a tavern. Jack walked to the bar, while Will stood leaning on a pillar, watching the weird scenario that was Tortuga. Gibbs sat at a table with Narissa.

"Where have you been all this time? Didn't hear anything from you in years," Gibbs asked her.

"Left the Pearl, went to Port Royal, worked as a waitress until Sparrow showed up." He nodded slowly at her undetailed reply, still not understanding why she was with Jack and who was the lad that accompanied them.

Jack walked towards the table with three mugs full of rum in his hands. On his way, he stopped next to Will and whispered to him "Keep a sharp eye."

He sat at the table in front of Gibbs and next to Narissa, handing a tankard full of rum to each of them. It took her a second to drink her first sip. 

"Now, what's the nature of this venture of yours?"

"I'm going after the _Black Pearl_." Gibbs almost choked on his drink. "I know where it's going to be, and I'm going to take it." Narissa wasn't surprised at all although he hadn't told her about his plan. There was no way Jack was going to risk his life just to rescue a girl he barely knew from the hands of his enemy. 

"Jack, it's a fool's errand. Why, you know better than me the tales of the _Black Pearl_ ," he warned him.

"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to." Jack kept his voice low, so Will wouldn't hear.

Narissa explained "He wants to break the curse. He has found the last coin."

Jack nodded. "All I need is a crew."

"From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one."

"Well, then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh?" Narissa scoffed at Jack's words.

"Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"

Jack glanced at Will, who was struggling with a woman that was all over him. "Nari, dear, it looks like your friend found himself a little problem." She laughed, drank the last of her rum with a long gulp, and walked away to help the poor boy.

She stood next to him, arms crossed, scowling as she glared at the curvy woman who was trying to seduce Will. He seemed quite uncomfortable. "This is _my_ man you're touching." The woman saw the angry dangerous look on her face and the sword attached to her hip and left quickly without saying a word.

Jack watched how everything happened and chuckled, then he looked back at his friend. "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" He nodded at Will, but Gibbs didn't seem to understand, so Jack insisted.

"The kid?" Gibbs asked, confusion written all over his face.

"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child, savvy?" Jack explained raising his eyebrows. Narissa heard this part of the conversation and narrowed her eyes, it was enough to understand. He was planning to do exactly what she had hoped he wouldn't do.

Realisation hit Gibbs and he glanced at Will. "Is he, now? Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you."

"One can only hope." He raised his drink. "Take what you can..."

"...Give nothing back." Gibbs finished as they clunk their tankards and drained their drinks.

"And what about the lass?" Gibbs asked, smirking. "Do you plan on handing her to her father in exchange of something? Something shiny?"

"No," was Jack's quick reply.

"Oh, so she's plan B to get the _Pearl_?" Gibbs frowned when Jack shook his head. "Why is she here, then?"

"She wanted to come, she feels some protectiveness for the Turner whelp." He replied, staring at her. He didn't notice a small smile was growing on his face as he watched her laughing. She looked beautiful.

"And you let her join in?!" he asked, alarmed, but Jack didn't reply. He simply kept looking at her and Gibbs shook his head. "Jack, don't be fooled again."

The captain's gaze left the woman and returned to his friend. "What do you mean?"

"When I met her, you looked at her the same way you are doing right now," he accused.

Jack stiffened on his chair. "I am not! How dare you think I would be that stupid after what she did to me?" he defended himself, offended. 

"Jack..." Gibbs warned him. "She may look trustworthy, but she will stab your back again when she has the chance. Those are the most dangerous women." Jack stared down at his empty mug between his hands, lost in thought. "When you told me what she did to you, I could hardly believe it. She was so innocent, such a good lass... And now your feelings are coming back. Be careful, Jack..."

He raised his head immediately. "Who said anything about feelings? I don't have such thing!"

"Sure, Jack..." Gibbs muttered shaking his head.

~●~○~●~

That night, Jack was in the captain's cabin, sitting on a chair with his legs resting on the desk. The _Interceptor_ would stay docked until the next morning, when Gibbs would bring the crew for him. Jack stared at his opened compass, pondering Gibbs' words, as the needle pointed from one direction another. He groaned. 

"Bugger! I don't like her," he muttered to himself for the hundredth time, while closing the compass and opening it again.

He told himself that he was just confused due to his old feelings. Sure, she was still beautiful, probably even more than before, but he had to get her out of his mind. If the compass didn't point to the correct direction, he would never find the _Black Pearl._

Suddenly, the needle pointed straight to the door and, at that moment, someone knocked. The wooden door opened slightly and Narissa revealed her head from behind it.

"Captain, can I talk to you?" He closed his compass, annoyed, and montioned her with his hand to enter. Narissa did so and closed the door behind her. "I heard you talking with Gibbs." She took a deep breath. "I beg you not to let any harm come to William. You know he means a lot to me."

Jack glanced at her for a second. "I never planned to. His name is enough to bargain with."

She sighed in relief and whispered "Thanks." Then, she wondered if he wanted to hand _her_ to Barbossa. "And please, don't make me go back to _him_ , I left for a reason. I know you and I had problems in the past and I am very sorry, but please, don't do something like that to me."

He brought his legs down and looked at her again, her eyes were pleading while his were dark and tainted with pain. "You're sorry? You think you can lie to me, steal my heart, break it, and then say you're sorry and expect me to do as you wish?" He stood up, his voice getting angrier with every word. "Ten years without my ship, wondering what I ever did to you, but now everything's fine because _you are sorry_ ," he mocked her voice when he said the last part, slowly walking towards her.

His words angered her, he had no idea of why she did it and now he acted like he was the only victim. She scoffed. "Break your heart? Don't act as if I wasn't one of your toys to have fun with for a day or two." She pointed an accusing finger at him and took a step towards him.

"You were NOT." Jack also walked forward. "I WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU!" he shouted angrily, finally admitting what he never got the chance to tell her. Silence filled the room.

Her eyes were wide open. She could hear her heart beating because of her own anger and Jack's words. "You... What?" He hadn't just played with her heart? He actually felt something for her?

"You were beautiful and cheerful and strong and everything I wanted in a woman." As he spoke, he stared into her bright eyes and realised that she still had all those qualities. His voice got quiet when he added "The only person who was ever nice to me, that I trusted to tell about my past and my worries, and you betrayed me!"

Narissa got tired of his accusations and shouted "You think I had a choice?! You think they wouldn't have mutinied without my help?!" She took a deep breath. It was time to tell him everything. Her voice quieted down. "My father... He told me if I didn't help, he'd kill you in front of my eyes. But if I did, he'd let you live. I had no idea of his plan of leaving you to die on the island. I was deceived too."

Jack approached her, chest against chest, pondering her words. Everything made sense now, she was just another victim of Barbossa's greed. "So you were... protecting me?"

She nodded. She kept her voice low, and her gaze was directed to the floor, so her hair would cover her sad expression. "At least that was my intention. I couldn't bear the thought of you dying if I could do anything to stop it." Jack stared at her. She cared for him, she was trying to save him. "The truth is that I also loved you," she finally confessed.

He didn't say anything, but couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face at those words. He held her chin and brought her head upwards, searching for her shiny blue eyes. There was no trace of lie in them. Narissa really had loved him; their deep conversations, her compliments, her flirty jokes, her blushing cheeks and shy smiles... They had not been part of a plan against him, they were real. His heart was beating so fast, it could have jumped out of his chest. Upon seeing Jack smile, a grin appeared on her expression, erasing the sadness of her face. "I felt so guilty for being so naive that I left the _Pearl_  some weeks later," she concluded.

Jack felt a stab of pain. Behind her smile, he could see a hint of pure sadness. He hadn't been the only one who had felt the ache of a broken heart. Still, a small part of his mind wasn't convinced. He knew Narissa was very good at lying, but this... "Can I trust you, Nari?"

"I'm a pirate, I don't think you can," she replied, making him chuckle softly.

"I'll take the risk and forgive you." There it was. The words that she had been yearning to hear for ten years: He forgave her. A wave of relief ran through her, washing away most of her worries.

She hugged him tightly, with her arms circled around his neck, whispering a few thanks against his neck. Jack was taking aback at first, but he soon wrapped his own arms around her waist, bringing her as close as possible. He had missed her hugs, he loved them. They were warm and made his heart flutter, and she usually gave them when she was very happy. 

When Narissa broke their embrace, she rested her hands on his shoulders, creating some space between them. "So we can forgive and forget and be friends again?" she asked.

He saw the joy in her eyes. Friends. Giving her a fake smile, he replied "O'course! Friends!"

Saying "Thank you" one last time, Narissa turned around. Jack's smile disappeared as soon as she left the room. He shook his head, there was nothing wrong with being just friends. _"Wake up, Jack! It's been ten years. You got over her!"_

He left the cabin and found her sitting on the railing, still smiling. She didn't notice he was there, as she was looking at the stars, as usual, and thinking of the adventure that was ahead of them.

Jack reached for his compass and opened it warily. The needle didn't hesitate, it pointed directly at her. When she walked away to go to sleep below deck, the needle followed her. Jack closed the compass, letting out a desperate groan while going back into the cabin. He wouldn't find the Isla de Muerta as long as his mind was focused on her, he needed to find a solution. 

Narissa, on the other hand, wasn't disappointed at all. She was satisfied enough with being forgiven and staying as friends, even though her heart told her that she wanted something more. She wouldn't fall for him again. No. That was just a fantasy from her younger self. Besides, he wouldn't want her. Jack Sparrow, who had a lover - or more - in every port, wouldn't settle with one. Not possible.


	13. New Companions

The next morning, Narissa woke up early. Her body was used to wake up just before dawn. Ever since she could remember, she got up in time to see the sun rising on the horizon each morning. She thought it was one of the most breathtaking views that existed, and she felt sorry for all those people who missed such a spectacle every day because they were sleeping. 

She sat on the wooden railing, not afraid of falling into the sea; the _Interceptor_ was docked anyway, so there was no danger. She waited patiently for the sun to illuminate the world. A weak light was starting to rise above the water, tainting the morning sky with an orange glow. As half of the sun kept hidden, its reflection formed a golden path on the water. The sun raised higher and higher, ruling the sky, its orange rays mixed with the blue sky, creating a beautiful shade of pink. 

When the sun finally settled proudly above the sea, Narissa smiled. She had never seen two equal dawns, every morning has a different detail, a new shade of some colour. It was satisfying, like watching an artist create a masterpiece on the canvas of the sky. 

She heard footsteps approaching her. Jack's voice reached her ears. "Y'know if you keep sitting there, you'll end up falling. And I don't know if I want to rescue you again."

She chuckled, remembering, once again, that time years before when she fell overboard at the _Black Pearl_. She had been sitting on the railing, but the ship wasn't docked, and when the sudden scream of a crewman warned them about an attack, she lost her balance. Jack quickly jumped into the cold water, but she was already unconscious because she'd been hit by a rock. The captain brought her onto the deck and, noticing that she wore a tight corset, he slided a dagger along it to take it off, just like he would do years later to save Elizabeth, to allow her to cough out the water. Since then, Narissa never tightened her corset again; she wore one made of leather because she liked how she looked in it, but it was considerably loose.

Remembering that incident without taking her eyes from the sky, Narissa replied "I don't make the same mistake twice, captain." Maybe she was only talking about that accident, but Jack understood that she was also referring to letting her father deceive her. Narissa stood on deck and faced Jack. "Why are you up so early, captain? I thought Mr. Gibbs wouldn't be here until midday."

"That's true, but I think I should enjoy the wonderful world that is Tortuga before we leave," he explained, making weird gestures with his hands. 

"Which means that you're going to pay a visit to Scarlett and Giselle, am I wrong?" She laughed, and Jack thought it was a sound more beautiful than any mermaid's song. 

"I never make the same mistake twice, dear," he repeated her words with his famous smirk, showing one of his golden teeth. Turning around, the charming captain left the ship to enjoy a few hours in Tortuga.

Narissa shook her head and tried to ignore the warm sensation in her stomach as she remembered their conversation from the previous night. He had forgiven her; she couldn't express her happiness. However, they stayed as friends and she knew her feelings for him were returning and she couldn't do anything about it.

Some minutes later, Will arrived on deck with a sleepy face, narrowing his eyes at the blinding sunlight. He scanned the ship, looking for his friend, and found her sitting on the stairs that led to the helm. She was making a castle with some cards; she did that a lot to kill boredom back at their home in Port Royal. When the figure collapsed because of the slow rocking of the ship, she groaned "This is impossible!"

Will laughed behind her, causing her to turn around. "Good morning, William! Came to see my architectural skills?"

"What made you think that you could do that on a ship?" he teased her.

She smiled. "Oh, I knew I couldn't, but it's worth a try, eh? There's no much thing to do on a docked ship. I was bored and I had these cards I found yesterday at the town... And well, I can't play alone."

"Alone? Where is Sparrow?" Will asked, looking around.

While she retrieved the fallen cards, she answered "He went back to Tortuga. He's probably getting drunk or looking for female company. Or both things," she said uninterested. "Anyway, you're here! Wanna play?" she offered with a smile.

They played cards for some hours, Will was very good at it, since Narissa had taught him. However, she would cheat from time to time; he didn't catch her most of the times, but when he did, he would get very annoyed and Narissa would joke about his obsession with rules.

At some point, Will asked her "What happened between you and Sparrow?" She lifted her gaze from the cards in her hand to her friend, shock written all over her face. He explained "I know you knew each other, he told me he was your captain and you said he hates you. What happened?"

She sighed. "We were... close friends."

"How close?" Will insisted. He had noticed the glances that she sent towards the pirate sometimes. 

"Almost inseparable. I did something wrong, very wrong, and... Well, I felt so guilty that I left the crew."

"That doesn't explain much, Narissa."

"William, it's complicated for me. You'll find out with time, it's really hard for me to talk about it, especially to you." She still couldn't tell him about her father. After a silent moment, she continued. "Jack forgave me yesterday, anyway, so we're fine now."

The boy wanted more answers, he wanted to now more about her so he could understand her, but Narissa never wanted to talk about her past. He accepted this; if it was difficult for her, he wouldn't force her to talk. "Whatever you did to him, I am glad you did it."

She glared at him. "Why? Because it made me leave piracy?! William, I'm tired of your comme-"

"Because I met you," he interrupted, making her close her mouth. "If you hadn't left, you wouldn't have found me and who knows where I would be now?" His words came directly from his heart. Meeting Narissa was the best thing that had ever happened to him, not just because she gave him a home and food, but also because she was always there to support him. She cared for him and had showed him love.

"That's..." She couldn't find words to express her emotions at that moment. "...Really sweet." She also was glad that they had met. Without him, all those years in Port Royal would have felt awfully lonely. William made her forget about her past and her mistakes and he brought her happiness in the worst time of her life.

Since her words couldn't describe her feelings, Narissa threw herself into his arms and embraced him tightly. The cards flew out from their hands into the air, some of them ended up into the water, being carried away by the breeze. Will responded hugging her, not too strongly. He didn't want to hurt her, although she was squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"How emotional!" a sarcastic voice said, making them break their embrace.

Narissa turned around to find Jack looking down at them. "I didn't expect you here so soon, captain. Were the brothels still closed or have you been thrown out of every tavern already?"

"Or both things?" Will added and Narissa nodded.

"Very funny," he commented sarcastically and sent a glare at Will, who stood up and walked away, leaving the conversation. Jack continued talking to Narissa. "The truth is I haven't visited any brothel and the taverns are all open for me."

She stood up from the stairs and faced him. "I can hardly believe you when you say 'the truth is'. No offence, captain."

"None taken, dear. However, I'm afraid that you're wrong. I was, in fact, looking for something for you." He pointed at her with his forefinger.

"For me?" Narissa said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms, containing a smile that was threatening to escape. "And what have you stolen?"

Jack shook his head. "You know me really well, but once again: you're wrong. I bought it, used my own money."

"And said money was indeed stolen, am I wrong this time?"

He extended his arms to her. "You're finally right! I'm a pirate after all." She laughed at this. "I couldn't help but notice you're lacking of something considerably important for a pirate." He reached into his belt, taking a pistol, but not his. He handed it to her. "Can't 'ave you getting hurt, aye?"

With wide opened eyes, Narissa reached out to hold the bronze coloured pistol. It had been so long since the last time she had held one that her hands were trembling slightly. The cold metal made contact with her skin; she looked at the engravings in form of waves that decorated the grip and the barrel of the pistol. She noticed it was smaller than most pistols she had seen. Extending her arm, she pointed it at nowhere in particular, closing one eye to check that the aim was straight. She decided it was in perfect conditions.

"It's very light," she commented with a smile.

He nodded. "When I saw it, it immediately reminded me of you, y'know?" She raised her eyebrows at this. "It's small, light and very beautiful, but deadly. It suits you perfectly."

She felt her heart fluttering, he really wasn't helping if he wanted to be friends. "Thank you, captain."

"Call me Jack, dear, but not in front of the crew! I think we know each other well enough."

Settling her new pistol into her own belt, she said "Well, Jack, remind me to repay you for this gift."

"I won't forget, Nari." He winked at her before she turned around to get back to talk with Will. Jack stared at her backside as she left. She had replaced her long skirt for some trousers during their stay at Tortuga, and he thought they suited her perfectly, especially since they hugged her curves. Jack stared at the gentle sway of her hips as she walked away, smiling at himself. 

~●~○~●~

At midday, some sailors were aligned on the dock waiting next to Mr. Gibbs. When Jack, Will and Narissa left the ship to meet the new crew, Gibbs told Jack "Feast your eyes, Captain. All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot."

With raised eyebrows, Narissa looked at the line of pirates, one by one. There were all kind of persons there, of all races, all ages, and all sizes; literally, there was a bald dwarf between them.

"So this is your able-bodied crew?" Will whispered behind Jack.

"Honestly, I've seen worse sailors than this," Narissa added.

"That's the attitude, dear! Learn from her, Will." He turned again to the crew, standing in front of a quite old man with a white beard, tanned skin and a blue bandana around his head. A parrot was resting on his left shoulder.

"You, sailor!" Jack exclaimed with his chin up, trying to look superior. 

"Cotton, sir," Gibbs informed him quietly next to him.

"Mr. Cotton… Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Since he received no answer, Jack insisted "Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!"

Narissa saw the nervousness in Cotton’s eyes and she understood. She whispered "I think he can't talk, captain."

Gibbs nodded. "The lass is right, he’s a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one’s yet figured how."

Cotton opened his mouth wide to show his new captain that he, in fact, didn't have a tongue. Jack and Will made a disgusted face, while Narissa looked curiously at the colourful bird, wondering how the hell he taught it to talk.

Looking at the parrot instead, Jack said "Mr. Cotton's parrot... Same question."

Surprisingly, the bird replied "Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" Narissa chuckled at its funny voice.

"Mostly, we figure, that means 'yes'," Gibbs explained.

"O’course it does!" Jack exclaimed and turned to Will. "Satisfied?"

"Well, you’ve proved they’re mad," Will responded. 

Narissa crossed her arms. "As if we didn't have enough with a mad captain, now we have a mad crew."

"Oi!" Jack exclaimed, looking at her with a frown, but smiling when he saw mischievousness in her eyes, she was just messing with him.

"And what’s the benefit for us?" a feminine voice shouted from the end of the row of sailors.

Thinking that he had recognised that voice, Jack walked slowly towards the sailor, whose face was covered by a large hat. Carefully, he took off the hat, revealing a dark skinned woman with long black hair. Her expression wasn't friendly. "Ana Maria!" Jack greeted with a smile, she simply slapped him across the face, making his head turn around. 

Narissa laughed loudly. "Seriously, is there any woman in Tortuga who doesn't want to slap you?"

Will replied to her. "I don't think there is. I suppose you didn’t deserve that one either," he teased.

"No, that one I deserved," the pirate admitted.

"You stole my boat!" Ana Maria shouted.

Jack turned around to face her. "Actually-" She slapped him again before he could continue. The hit was so strong that the rest of them could almost feel the ache on their own cheeks. Jack tried to excuse himself. "Borrowed! Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to you."

"But you didn’t!"

"You’ll get another one," Jack told her nervously. 

Ana Maria pointed her forefinger at him. "I will," she said, almost threatening. Narissa was starting to like his girl; she was fierce and could make Jack shake in fear.

"A better one," Will intervened. 

Jack nodded in agreement. "A better one!"

"That one," Will said pointing to the _Interceptor_.

"What one?" Jack asked him, and Will glanced at the ship. Jack tuned to look at it and then back at the boy, angrily. "That one?!" Then, he looked at Ana Maria warily. "Aye, that one! What say you?"

Ana Maria thought for a moment and shouted "Aye!" and the whole crew repeated after her.

The crew headed to the Interceptor. Ana Maria took her hat from Jack's hands and put it back on while storming off to the ship. Narissa, Will and Jack stayed at the dock while the crew got ready to set sail.

Gibbs approached them, seemingly shaken. "No, no, no, no, no, it’s frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir. Let alone two! Especially her," he said pointing at Narissa, knowing who was her father.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip. "Joshamee, you're hurting all my three feelings," she pretended to be offended. "Having me aboard is possibly the best thing that could ever happen to you!"

"It’d be far worse not to have them, especially Nari. We need a first mate, after all," Jack said wrapping an arm around her shoulders and staring at the clouds above him. She stared at him, shocked. Jack turned around with Narissa under his grip and together, they walked towards the _Interceptor_ , leaving Gibbs and Will behind looking at the sky confused.

"First mate?" she asked as they climbed aboard the ship. She couldn't believe he trusted her enough to be his first mate, she had thought he'd choose Mr. Gibbs.

"Aye. Who would be better than you?" he asked, setting foot onto the deck. He extended a hand to help her and she accepted it.

"What about Joshamee?" she suggested once she stood on the ship.

"Gibbs is a good sailor and a better friend, but I'm afraid having that authority would allow him to drink all of our rum." He glanced down at Mr. Gibbs, who was now climbing up the hull of the ship.

"And that's _your_ job," she said with a smile.

"Exactly," Jack concluded.

Once everyone was on deck, including Gibbs and Will, Narissa asked Jack "Captain, do we have a heading?"

The pirate reached for his compass hanging on his belt, already suspecting what would happen. As soon as he opened it, he saw the needle pointing from one direction to the other. He raised a finger to her and said "Give me a moment!" and ran into the cabin.

After shaking the compass, he opened it once more, he didn't get a different answer from the item, but he muttered "When I get the _Pearl_ , she can go sailing with me." A huge smile formed on his face when the needle finally stopped.

To assure himself that it was pointing to the correct direction, he left the cabin and searched for Narissa. His eyes settled on her, then moved down to the compass.

"Miss Narissa!" He shouted and she looked at him from the distance. "We have our heading!"

~●~○~●~

A storm had broken upon them in the middle of the night. On board, the new crew members worked along with Will and Narissa to keep the ship afloat, pulling lines and trimming sails. Thick drops of rain fell onto their faces. Meanwhile, the captain stood by the wheel, his right hand steering and his left one holding the compass, which was pointing to the correct direction.

Between the loud sounds of thunder and waves, Narissa could hear Mr. Gibbs at her right shouting at her "I warned him that you'd bring us bad luck!" She simply laughed, focused on her task.

The wind raised huge waves that rocked the ship forcefully. A wave covered the ship, pushing down some of the crewmen, including Narissa, who got up in no time to keep working. Jack noticed this and called her name, shouting so his voice could reach her ears between the thunders. He wouldn't risk having her falling overboard.

She climbed up the stairs, pushing wet locks of hair away from her face. Walking steady became a difficult task. "Aye, captain?"

"Stay in my cabin," he demanded. He could barely be seen, only the flashes of lightening allowed her to see his face.

She shook her head. "I'm not doing that," she shouted back stubbornly. Did he think she was not skilled enough? She was probably one of the best sailors in that ship. She felt quite offended by his command. 

He took his eyes away from the ocean and glanced at her for a second. "Narissa, please!" 

"No way!" she denied and he groaned. She didn't want to hear him insist, so she simply went back to work alongside Will and Gibbs. How could she leave her companions working hard during such a heavy thunderstorm while she stayed safe in the cabin? It didn't seem right to her.

"How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn’t work?" Will asked Gibbs loudly.

"Aye, the compass doesn’t point north but we’re not trying to find north, are we?" he answered with a knowing smile. This only made Narissa even more curious about the damn compass. Gibbs walked towards Jack with difficulty. "We should drop canvas, sir."

"She can hold a bit longer!" the captain replied with a huge smile on his face. His eyes were fixed on the sea, almost hungrily, knowing that they had to be close to his beloved ship, his treasure.

"What’s in your head that’s put you in such a fine mood, captain?"

"We’re catching up." His face, illuminated by the lightenings, made him look like a mad man.

~●~○~●~

About two hours later, the storm finally stopped and the sea was calmed again under the dark night sky. The rocking of the ship was soft now and, although some small drops of rain were still falling on them, it was nothing compared to the storm.

Narissa sat on the stairs, squeezing her shoulder-length hair to soak the water out of it. She took off her boots and held them upside down as some more water streamed out of them. She was tired and her muscles were sore, but she had to admit she had enjoyed it. It had been so long since her last real thunderstorm. She had missed the cold rain on her face, the waves soaking her, the strong wind running through her hair... From time to time, there were storms in Port Royal, but not as dangerous and thrilling as the ones at open sea.

As she put on her boots again, Jack stood before her. She raised her head and looked at him. "My cabin. Now." His voice held a bitter tone. He stormed off to the cabin and she followed after him, knowing that he would want to talk about her not leaving when he told her to. 

Once inside, she closed the wooden door behind her. She saw him taking off his brown hat and his coat, hanging them on a wall rack. He didn't look at her, the scowl on his expression made her nervous.

After a sigh, Narissa started "Jac-"

"I told you to stay in 'ere!" he raised his voice, not letting her start her explanation.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You wanted me to stay here doing nothing while the crew risked their lives out in that terrible storm?!" Her own voice sounded angry now, although she hadn't come with the intention to argue. 

He stayed silent for a few seconds, noticing how stupid his idea sounded coming from her mouth. "...Yes."

She scoffed, frowning. "Well, that's not right and that's not how I work."

He got tired of her attitude and took large steps towards. "Those were captain's orders and you disobeyed them!" His tone got louder with every word.

"Maybe if the captain's orders made sense, I would obey." She didn't raise her voice, she would let him shout as much as he wanted if that's what his ego needed.

"They made sense, I didn't want you to fall overboard." He said, still walking towards her until they were so close that she had to walk backwards. Her back made contact with the door and she was pressed between it and the captain. 

"Jack, we both know I am as capable as them, even more than many of them. You can't tell me to stay here and do nothing," she tried to reason with a softer voice, but this didn't calm him down at all.

"I can because I am the captain!" He shouted while forcefully slamming his right hand on the door, right next to her head. She stiffened at his sudden action and the loud banging on the wood.

She gulped, but didn't show fear, she stood proud in front of him. "And what about your crew? You don't care about what happens to the other crewmen? Why telling me to stay safe and not William? He's the one you need." She was now wondering if he was actually going to use her to get the _Black Pearl._

His voice softened, his eyes were fixed on the floor. "I can't let you drown, Nari."

That was it. He was actually going to sell her to his father, but she wanted him to admit it. She pushed him away pressing her hands on his chest, but he only moved a small step backwards. "Why?! Why do you care so much?!" She was yelling this time.

He looked at her. "Did you ever think that MAYBE I STILL HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU?!" He shouted, his voice getting louder than she'd ever heard him. Jack saw a trace of fear between the surprise in her blue eyes. Immediately he lowered his voice to say "Sorry." He didn't want to scare her. He wasn't angry at her, although he didn't like her disobeying his orders. He was angry at himself because he hated having a weakness, because his mind couldn't focus on anything but her, because he didn't know how to deal with these emotions.

Narissa could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't expecting those words. Even though he had forgiven her and admitted that he used to love her, she didn't think that he'd feel something for her again. "Feelings? Captain Jack Sparrow has those?"

He nodded and his gaze went back to the floor. He seemed... Embarrassed? "I never hated you, no matter how hard I tried to. I couldn't. And I thought I had forgotten you." He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "But suddenly you showed up and you're messing with my mind again and I don't understand what I am doing." He approached her again, he caressed her cheek softly with the knuckles of his right hand. "You're even more beautiful than before. And stronger, I like that. But still as stubborn as a goat."

Narissa didn't know what to say. He never hated her? He still felt something for her? "Ten years ago I would have killed to hear those words from you." He chuckled at her words. Narissa, locked between him and the door, rested both hands on his chest. Lifting her head in order to look at him, she added "If things had been different, I would have spent that night with you. I would have let you be my first, Jack."

He smiled fondly. He would have loved to be her first and her last. "I suppose I'm a bit late to be your first now," he said with a raised eyebrow.

She laughed while nodding. " _Very_ late, indeed." It was true, she had enjoyed many nights with various men, but nothing was serious. It was just for the fun of it, a girl has her needs.

"Maybe we could do some catching up and you show me what you've learned." A suggestive smirk grew on both pirates' faces as he talked.

She considered it for a moment, a hand rubbing her chin in thought. "A tempting offer, that's for sure. But what do I get in exchange?"

He took a step backwards. "A night with captain Jack Sparrow." He stood proudly. 

"Is that enough? I mean, you would spend a night with Narissa Barbossa." Her right hand trailed from her neck to her waist, tracing her own curves, making Jack follow her movements with his eyes. "I don't think it's a fair exchange."

Jack groaned in annoyance. If she wanted to negotiate, that was fine with him, he was a master of negotiations. "What else do you want?"

She smiled proudly at herself; she had him wrapped around her finger. "Tell me where your compass points. You never told me and I'm very curious to know this little secret of yours."

He cocked his head to one side and frowned. "Is that all I have to do to get you into bed?"

"Into bed, on the desk, on the floor, standing by the wall... That depends on my mood," she told him with a smirk. He licked his lips as the different images formed in his mind. 

Reaching for his compass, which was hanging from the belt, he got closer to her again. His low velvety voice said "My compass points to the thing you want most in this world."

She raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Are you lying?"

"Absolutely not," he said shaking his head, the beads hanging from his hair making tingling sounds.

Narissa was having so much fun teasing him. "Where does it point for you?"

"Don't you know already?"

"The _Pearl_?" she guessed.

"Yes, sometimes. But some other times, and God I hate when this happens, it points to something else." He leaned into her ear and whispered. "To someone..."

She separated their heads and stared at him with a fake shocked expression. "To Mr. Gibbs? I knew there was something going on between you two!" she joked, failing at containing her laughter.

He groaned again, this woman loved getting on his nerves. "You are going to make me change my mind about tonight."

She stopped laughing and said "Oh, I don't think so."

"And why is that, luv?" he whispered. _Luv_ , he hadn't called her that since before the mutiny, and hearing him pronounce that word again made her shiver. His left hand travelled to her waist, enjoying the closeness between them.

Looking at him with seductive blue eyes, she reached for the hand in which he held the compass and opened its lid slowly. She didn't need to look at the needle. When she felt something poking against her, a smirk grew on her face. "Because your compass is not the only thing pointing at me right now, _Jackie_."


	14. A Kiss

A kiss. That's how it started. A kiss that held memories and buried feelings, forgiveness and nostalgia, young dreams and worries. A soft caress of his tongue across her lips, and their tongues joined, not battling, but exploring slowly.

Jack dropped his compass and held her waist, her hands circled around his neck, as their lips moved together. A fire burned inside of him, he hadn't felt it in years. Narissa was the only person who could light it up. Memories of their first kiss flew through his mind. It was as loving and romantic as that one, but now it held a hint of desperation and hope. He was pouring his soul into it, speaking to her without words; he was trying to tell her that he was sorry, that he regretted blaming her, that he didn't want her to leave again.

She was pressed between the door and the captain. Without breaking the kiss, Narissa gently pushed him towards the bed, pressing her hands on his chest. His knees made contact with the bed and he sat down, pulling her onto his lap so she was straddling him. Her hands moved towards his hair, her fingers got lost in his messy dreadlocks; she pulled slightly and smiled against his lips when she heard a stifled moan coming from him. She separated her lips from his with the intention of attaching her mouth to his neck.

"No," Jack whined, while his hand reached the back of her head and pulled her into another kiss, more passionate than the previous one. He couldn't get enough of her mouth, he needed to feel her lips for a longer time. It still felt new for him to kiss a woman like that, so meaningfully, so softly, without the need to be inside of her as soon as possible. Kissing her just because he enjoyed it, because it made him feel free, because it felt like kissing the sea itself. He had to make up for all the kisses he hadn't given her.

Her hands travelled slowly towards his belt. She unfastened it with a swift move, while her tongue kept playing confidently with Jack's, as if she had done this many times. And she had, in fact. The belt dropped, a loud noise reached their ears when the metallic buckle hit the wooden floor; his vest followed soon after. They separated their lips from time to time, when gasping for air became necessary, but soon joined again. Jack's shirt was still wet because of the recent storm and it showed part of his chest, Narissa couldn't stop herself from caressing his. Jack groaned and bit her lip as her soft hands rubbed his tanned chest. She smiled against his lips and brought her hands back to rest on his shoulders, while his lowered from her waist to her strong thighs. Years of duelling and running from the authorities had made her muscles firm, but still feminine. Narissa savored the sensation of his hands on her legs. She broke the kiss, definitely this time, and her mouth met his neck. Her lips, swollen because of the scratch of his moustache, searched for his most sensitive spot on his neck. It didn't take long, he brought his head back in pleasure while a breathy moan escaped his mouth. She smiled proudly against his skin and made sure she'd remember where that particular spot was, in case she ever wanted to get that reaction from him again. She took in his scent: Rum, sea, sweat and a weak citric aroma, all together making him extremely alluring to her.

As she straddled his lap, Narissa waved her hips against his slightly, just to tease him. Jack's grasp on her thighs tightened. She wasn't a young innocent girl anymore, he didn't fear that she would break if he was too harsh. She was a strong woman, she wouldn't break.

"Nari, you can make a man lose his mind," he whispered with a hoarse voice next to her ear, as she moved her hips once again. Shivers ran through her body when his breath brushed her skin, a grin appeared on his face.

"Then it's a good thing you lost yours long ago," she said while her lips left his neck; he finally opened his eyes and locked them with her. She looked into his deep brown eyes; they were always dark, but now they seemed impossibly darker, staring intensely into hers. She thought that he was looking into her soul, into the depths of her heart. And, in fact, he was. In her stormy blue orbs, he saw strength. He saw confidence. He saw intelligence. He saw passion. He saw freedom. He saw the sea. He saw everything she was. She was everything he feared and everything he loved.

Jack reached out to caress her face, a delicate moment in a passionate mess. His move wasn't meant to give or get pleasure. No. It was something even more intimate than that, something that only they could understand. With that simple caress on her cheek with the back of his hand and a small smile, he was telling her that she wouldn't be alone again, that she would always have him, that they wouldn't be separated again. And somehow, she understood. She closed her eyelids so the tears that gathered in her eyes wouldn't fall. A single salty drop had escaped, and ran along her skin until it reached the corner of her mouth. Jack noticed this and leaned forward to kiss it away. There would be no crying during this. With the sweet contact of his lips, she opened her eyes. She couldn't believe Jack was showing her this sensitive side of him; he was acting so sweet, so loving, so different than the selfish pirate that everyone knew. Jack reached out to push a lock of her hair that was covering part of her face. If there was one thing that he missed about her, that was her long wild hair; now it barely touched her shoulders.

Still in that position, sitting on his lap, Narissa leaned down to peck his lips sweetly before she brought her hands down to the hem of his soaked shirt. Her trembling fingers pulled it upwards impatiently, until it was removed and thrown somewhere behind her. When his toned chest and arms were revealed, she stared down and licked her lips unconsciously. His skin was tanned, a result of hours under the Caribbean sun, and decorated with several tattoos. She traced a finger along the figure of a skull and crossed bones inked above his stomach. He shivered under her silky touch, a flame brushing his skin.

"One day, I want you to tell me the meaning behind all your tattoos," she whispered and he nodded. "Every. Single. One," she muttered between short kisses that she placed on his chest.

Her gaze travelled towards another figure on his arm, close to his shoulder. It had the shape of a circle, but the edges curved into different forms. Below it, there was something that looked like a poem. She wouldn't read it, not yet; she would do it some other day, but it was not the right time. However, one word didn't go unnoticed:  _Heart._

Then, of course, she found the drawing of a sparrow flying above the waves on his forearm. It told so many things about him: His beauty, his love for the sea, his desire for freedom, his preference for flying away rather than fighting... If anything could describe captain Jack Sparrow, it was that tattoo.

A short glance was directed to the pirate brand just below the beautiful tattoo. Narissa took his hand and moved it towards her face, until her lips brushed the burned mark, kissing it softly. She knew the emotional ache was too much for him. Letting go of his hand, she saw for the first time a healed bullet wound on his chest, next to his heart. Another story she wanted to know about; had he ever been close to death? She leaned down and kissed the brownish wound. She kissed every scar and every bruise that she could see. He didn't deserve all that damage, she knew he wasn't a fighter. She wished her kisses could erase every single mark of his body, every single memory of pain. But of course, that was not possible, so she accepted them as part of Jack's beauty, as a prove of that bravery that most people didn't see in him, as small details that made her admire him even more.

Jack's eyes followed her actions. He was speechless, overwhelmed. He had never received such affection. Perhaps she wasn't making his scars disappear, but she certainly was making his heart feel lighter. He was enjoying the attention she was giving him, but decided that it was her time to be praised.

He reached for the strings that loosely tied her leather corset on her back and his expert hands untied them. It dropped, allowing him to unbutton the wet blouse that revealed her shoulders. He did it slowly, without breaking eye contact with her. His hand brushed along the swell of her breast, softly enough to make it seem unintentional, with the hope that she would urge him to hurry and remove every piece of clothing of her body. She didn't let him down. "Please, take it off already" she pleaded in a whisper while grinding her hips.

With a proud smirk, he obliged to her wish. He finished unbuttoning it and he made sure that his hands caressed her skin as he slid the cloth down her arms. He placed placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder right before the blouse fell to the floor. He eyed her body up and down, feeling his trousers become tight. Her skin was slightly tanned, soft and warm. Her generous breasts were marvellous, a piece of art that he was lucky enough to admire. Her waist was thin, but not like all those noble ladies who used tight corsets to make it as slim as possible. No, Narissa's waist could be considered wide by those women; Jack thought that it was the perfect size to wrap his hands around it, so that's what he did, gently brushing his thumb along a little anchor that was inked on her hip bone. Her hips drove him mad; she knew how to move them, there was no doubt. He loved the sway of her hips when she walked, and he loved it even more now that she was rocking them above him. The movements of her hips were elegant and hypnotic, as the waves of the sea. She was breathtaking with all her imperfections, like the large scar that ran along her abdomen. It made her beautiful. If there was any god, Jack was sure that he or she had created Narissa with the idea of giving life to the most beautiful being in nature.

His gaze focused on her breasts, which were begging him to be kissed. She noticed his eyes were fixed on her chest and his manhood was poking her inner thigh, getting harder with every second. She chuckled, not feeling shy or self conscious or ashamed. In fact, she seemed quite confident.

"Want something,  _captain_?" she teased him with a smug smile, rocking her hips once again.

His gaze lifted to look at her face, his eyes softened. "Don't call me that, not now," he replied very seriously and Narissa arched her eyebrows in surprise.

Before she could add any other word, his mouth attacked her collarbone, using lips, tongue and teeth to mark her skin. His head went lower until his mouth found her left breast. His lips circled around her nipple, playing with it using his tongue, while one of his hands teased the other and his free hand rested on the curve of lower back. Moans escaped from her mouth, and she hissed slightly as his teeth bit the delicate skin around her nipple. That would certainly leave a visible mark, but only Jack would see it. At the soft sound of pain, he glanced at her face to make sure he wasn't seriously hurting her. When he saw her bringing her head backwards and arching her back, with her mouth forming a satisfied smile, he silently congratulated himself and moved his mouth to her right breast, giving it as much attention.

"Oh, fuck!" Narissa exclaimed in barely a whisper, a breathy sound that wouldn't have being heard, hadn't he been so close to her. She gulped. Her sensitive skin was beginning to hurt, so Narissa pressed her hands on his chest and pushed him away delicately.

She left his lap and knelt down on the floor while he stayed sat on the bed, his legs on either side of her. Her hands rested on his thighs, just above his knees, and travelled higher and higher, agonizingly slowly. Jack's breath became erratic at the expectation of what would come next. Narissa looked upwards to see his reaction, a seductive smile on her expression, and her captivating eyes lowered from his face to the bulge on his pants. Her right hand approached dangerously to his covered manhood; her fingers left a delicate touch there, almost unnoticeable, but enough to make him groan when her hands left to rest on his knees. She laughed when he glared at her for teasing him in such a cruel way. But he soon laughed with her, shaking his head in disbelief at the effect she had on him.

She held one of his boots and pulled to remove it, then she did the same thing with the other one. Reaching for her own boots, she quickly removed them too and immediately went back to her initial position on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and ran his hands along her back while kissing her mouth hungrily; the coldness of his rings and the warmth of his hands along her skin made her shiver. She nibbled his bottom lip before pulling away.

Her hands, which were resting on his chest, went lower and lower without leaving his skin. She grinded her hips, causing both of them to moan when his growing groin brushed against her wet womanhood, still separated by their clothes, while her hands reached the waistband of his breeches. She tugged at it slightly, raising a suggestive eyebrow at him, with an excited grin on her face. Jack leaned backwards, resting his back on the bed, to allow her to take his last piece of clothing of him. She unfastened the trousers and pulled them down until they reached his knees, revealing his member, which wasn't fully erect yet, but it was quite large already. He was considerably big, no wonder why many women were desperate for his company after spending a night with him. She left a soft kiss and a tiny lick on its head and felt it throb, Jack moaned. She kept sliding the breeches down his legs, until they were totally off.

Jack went back to his sitting position. Narissa stood up and held his chin, running two fingers through the pair of braids of his beard, before her hand gripped the hem of her own trousers. His eyes were fixed again on her breasts, until he noticed that she was going to remove the last piece of clothing from her body. She lowered the waistband while waving her hips suggestively, driving him crazy. His hand grasped his eager member, now totally erect, and stroked it once as he watched her undress before his eyes. A guttural groan reached her ears when the trousers passed her waist and dropped around her ankles.

Jack eyed her from head to toe, trying to memorise every mark of her body, every curve, admiring her beauty. His eyes couldn't decide where to fix. She was stunning, he felt the luckiest man in the planet, as if he had just found the greatest treasure that existed. He didn't need gold or jewels as long as he had her. She was the only treasure he needed. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he told her and for the first time in his life, he really meant it.

Narissa laughed, setting her hands on her hips. "I'm sure you say that to many women," she replied, but she didn't sound angry or jealous. Perhaps she knew that he wasn't lying.

"Maybe, but I am being honest this time," he said and, with a movement of his hand, he signalled her to come closer. She obliged and sat down on his knees, leaving some space between them. Licking his lips, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, until their chests were pressed against each other's. She melted under his touch. Jack leaned into her ear and whispered "I am going to give you the best night of your life."

"I hope you keep your promises," she replied with a smile, looking deeply into his eyes, and folded her hands behind his neck, bringing his face towards hers to kiss him fiercely. Their eyes fluttered closed.

Jack caressed her body, praising every inch of her skin. Gently, still kissing, he moved to lay her beneath him on the bed, resting his weight on one of his elbows. Her legs were slightly parted. Slowly, but without a glimpse of hesitation, Jack's right hand moved from her waist to her stomach, and then lower, between her thighs, finding her wet womanhood. His fingertips delicately brushed her warm lower lips, causing her to gasp and, therefore, to break their kiss. Narissa closed her eyes in pleasure when Jack trailed his middle finger between her folds; she brought her head back and sank into the pillow.

"You're so wet for me, luv," he commented before his finger found her sensitive clitoris; he stimulated it softly, making tiny circles.

Narissa wrapped her arms around his shoulders and moved her hips following the movements of his finger, she arched her back in pleasure as she gasped "Yes, Jack! Only for you." A flame had been lit up in her lower abdomen, and soon it would become a fire.

Her hands flew to his hair and tugged at his dreadlocks when a pair of fingers entered her all of a sudden. He groaned because of the pull of his hair and the feeling of her warmth. He moved both fingers in and out, studying her reactions to find out what she enjoyed the most. A third finger joined soon after and Narissa bit her lower lip to stifle a moan. Jack stroked his fingers, covered by her juices, and she rocked her hips back and forth to get more friction. Her hands grasped his shoulders again and, when his thumb started to rub her clit again, she sunk her nails into his skin.

He couldn't wait to be inside of her and make her feel a thousand times better than this, but he was determined to make her pleasure last. He felt her inner muscles clench around his fingers, and her juices start to drip from her. Her moans got louder and her breath became more erratic. The fire in her lower abdomen was burning almost achingly. Her back arched towards him, her hips jerked uncontrollably. He kissed her breasts softly, adding even more pleasure.

"Are you close, luv?" he whispered with a smirk, already knowing the answer, enjoying the view of her squirming and shaking beneath him.

Narissa nodded quickly, with her eyes closed tightly. She didn't want to reach her climax, not yet. She was enjoying this too much, he was making her feel too good, but the fire in her was growing more and more. "Jack... Don't stop, please. Faster, plea-" Her own moans interrupted her when he licked her neck. He obeyed and moved his fingers faster, as well as his thumb on her swollen clit, making her let out a silent scream.

"Don't hold it back, Narissa. Come for your Jackie," he urged her whispering close to her ear, which caused her to hold him tighter and moan louder. Although this was a nice thing to watch for him, and he loved pleasuring her, he needed her already, he couldn't wait any longer. He could feel his cock throbbing, eager to fill her.

She felt her head spinning, her eyes rolled back and she closed her eyes tightly, she could see the stars. The feeling of his fingers inside her, his voice whispering dirty words to her, his thumb rubbing her sensitive bud... It was too much and, with a final loud moan, she reached her orgasm. She held him even tighter.

"Oh, Jack..." she gasped quietly, making him beam. He kept moving his fingers slowly as she rode her blissful climax while trying to recover her breath between quiet moans.

When her hips stopped grinding against his hand, he finally pulled out his fingers and sucked her juices from them. Narissa's chest was rising and falling as her breathing became steady; her cheeks were flushed and a layer of sweat covered every inch of her body. When she finally opened her eyes and saw Jack above her, her lips stretched to form a satisfied smile. Some locks of her chocolate hair were sticked to her forehead due to the sweat, Jack pushed them away so he could see her eyes properly. They were slightly teary because of the intensity of her climax, but held joy.

Jack leaned down to leave a soft kiss on her neck. This movement let Narissa feel his eager member pressing against her abdomen. She rested a hand on his stomach, and then lowered down until she reached his length to trail a finger along it. He shivered at the contact; when she gently wrapped her hand around it, he took in a sharp breath.

"I need you inside," she pleaded, her voice shaky, moving her hips upwards slightly.

Pushing her thighs further apart, he settled between her legs and got ready to penetrate her, but before he could continue his task, Narissa held his shoulders and forcefully pushed him on his back, setting him beneath her. She sat on his thighs with one leg on either side of him, resting her weight on her knees. Jack was taken by surprise by her sudden action, but gave in to her. Like the sea, if she wanted to take you somewhere, you could only give in and enjoy the ride. He couldn't deny he loved this view of her sitting proudly on top of him, looking down at him hungrily. However, it brought him memories of the night of the mutiny; they were just in this position, but with their clothes still on.

Narissa saw the concern in his eyes. Leaning down, she left small kisses along his chest. She sat up straight again and said "You're always in charge, let me take control for once. Let me take care of you." Her big bright blue eyes tried to send him confort.

Any trace of mistrust, every hint of doubt, left his mind. His heart fluttered, she wanted to take care of him. He had the most gorgeous woman in bed, naked on top of him, ready to make love, but in that instant the only thing that mattered to him was that she actually cared for him. Nobody else ever cared for him, nobody ever worried about the selfish dishonest pirate, but she did.

Grasping her waist, Jack sent her a smile. Not a grin, or a smirk, or one of his mischievous smiles. It was a true smile that came from his very soul, that screamed "thank you" and "I love you". Narissa thought she saw a glimpse of a tear threatening to escape.

Pressing a hand on his chest for support and making eye contact, she raised her hips. With her other hand, she grasped his member and directed it to her entrance. He was as eager to fill her as she was to receive him. After a deep breath, she sent him a look that asked "ready?", to which he nodded his head quickly.

She sank down deliberately, making his length enter her slowly, and rested both hands on his chest. He closed his eyes and took in a sharp breath through his mouth, she brought her head back and held her breath. Jack's mouth made an O shape as her warm walls surrounded him tightly. When he was completely inside, Narissa let out a satisfied exhale. She stayed still for a moment, just enjoying the way he filled her, how he was inside her and surrounding her at the same time. Soon, she started to rock her hips back and forth; his hands gripped her waist and guided her body as she settled the rhythm, leaving the mark of his fingers on her skin. What started as slow deliberate movements, became fast motions soon after.

Narissa raised herself until only his tip was inside of her, and then suddenly sank back down, making both of them moan loudly. He loved the way her breasts bounced with every movement. She repeated this a few times and, at some point, he started raising his hips to meet hers, trying to get impossibly closer to her. Changing the angle, Narissa leaned backwards and placed her hands behind her to rest her weight on her palms. She moved her pelvis slowly in circles, making Jack close his eyes at the intense pleasure.

He sat up straight and his arms embraced her body, pulling her to his chest as she kept grinding on top of him; his mouth pressed on her shoulder, leaving a purplish mark on her skin. He moved to her neck, placing wet kisses everywhere, and her hands flew to his hair. The many beads that adorned his dreadlocks were making clinging sounds following the rhythm of their lovemaking. The only thing that existed was her, Jack, their moans filling the air, their hearts pounding as one and dozens of senseless whispers.

Jack felt her walls clenching around his cock and her movements becoming sloppy and losing rhythm, while the volume of her moans increased progressively; he was sure that everyone in the ship could hear her. She rested her forehead against his, their noses brushing.

"Jack I-" she stopped for a moment to take a breath. "...v-very close." She leaned into his shoulder and bit his flesh, not too hard, just enough to muffle the sounds she was making.

"Me too, Nari," he groaned. Then, whispered "Don't hold it back, luv. Come for me," he encouraged, and she moaned at his hoarse voice. She moved faster, increasing the friction on her clit. "Who's making you feel so good?"

There was his ego. She smiled as much as her continuous moans let her. "You, Jack," she said between short breaths.

"What was that?" he insisted, pretending he couldn't hear.

"Jack!" she repeated, louder. It was becoming difficult to talk, the pleasure was too much.

"Shout it." If the whole crew could hear their lovemaking, he'd make sure they knew she was his. Since Narissa didn't respond immediately, his hand reached down to press a finger on her clit. "Who?"

She felt a lightning running through her bones, the warm feeling in her stomach became to much. Her walls clenched around his cock as she tensed and shouted "Jack!!!" with a loud moan and closed eyes while her hips kept rocking slowly as she rode her orgasm, until her body finally relaxed and she used his shoulders for support.

A few more deep thrusts, and Jack tensed and found his climax, spilling his seed into her. Something between a moan and a groan escaped his mouth. When he was done, he laid on his back, gasping, his chest rising and falling as he stared at the ceiling. A proud smile was on his face. Narissa moved from her position on top of him, pulling out his now flaccid manhood.

Jack opened his arms to her, an invitation for her to sleep with him the rest of the night. She accepted it and laid next to him. If he wasn't used to receive attention, Narissa was certainly new at staying the night with a man after receiving the pleasure she needed. She was glad that, in this subject, Jack was her first. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, while his free hand trailed along her curves. She pressed a hand on his abdomen, and her head rested on his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat. Her own heart was still pounding at the sensations he had given her.

Jack's hands left the curve of her waist to caress her cheek. She seemed so relaxed, so content, so peaceful. He hoped he had made her feel as good and she had made him. "Did you enjoy that?" he asked in a whisper, managing not to show his worry in his voice.

She shrugged. "That was alright."

His heart sank. He had given dozens of women huge amounts of pleasure, but Narissa was the only one that he was trying to make feel as good as possible. "J-just alright?" He felt disappointed, he had tried his best.

He felt her body shaking against him, she was chuckling. Jack frowned when Narissa raised her head to face him, resting her chin on his chest. "I'm just kidding," she said between chuckles and he laughed along with her, relieved. Then, her eyes softened as her finger traced random patterns on his skin. "That was wonderful."

Raising an eyebrow, he asked "How wonderful?"

There was his ego again. She rolled her eyes at his need for compliments. "Amazingly wonderful, incredible, astonishing. Perfect," she replied with an exaggerated voice. But then her voice became serious. "Wonderful enough to be repeated, if you want." She tore her eyes away from his charming ones. He noticed she was blushing, which wasn't something common in her.

Jack Sparrow having sex with the same woman twice? That had never happened before, and he had thought it would never happen. He held her chin with his hand and pulled her into a soft kiss. It didn't last long, it was a simple peck, but it felt so intimate. Resting his forehead on hers, he whispered "I can't wait to repeat that."

Sending him a heartfelt smile, she nestled in the warmth of his arms, resting her head on his chest again. Jack pulled her closer to him by her waist as she fell asleep and he managed to pull a blanket over their naked bodies. He kissed her head, enjoying the sweet smell of her hair and the softness of her locks under his lips.

Jack smiled, satisfied. He had bedded more women than he could remember, but he'd never felt as fulfilled as Narissa made him feel. What was this woman doing to him? This unknown sensation scared him, but he would make sure they would savor many more nights like this one. He didn't need any other woman. Only Narissa. His Narissa.


	15. Keep to the Code

Morning came and the first rays of sunlight crossed the window to light the cabin in which Captain Jack Sparrow laid with his first mate between his arms. He woke up as soon as some light entered the room. Looking down at the woman who laid by his side with her head on his chest, he smiled fondly. She was more relaxed than he had ever seen her; even a small smile could be seen on her lips as she slept. He stared at the ceiling while his hand trailed along her tanned skin, and recalled the events of the previous night, wondering how he had become so lucky. It had been the best night of his life, and that was coming from a man who had slept with more women than he could count.

However, his time of peace couldn't last forever since, as the captain of this ship, he had things to do. They were very close to Isla de Muerta, they would be there in a few hours. Therefore, he reluctantly decided it was time to get up. He didn't really want to leave Narissa's side; he loved how her soft skin felt under his hands and having her warm body so close to him, but he had a duty.

He raised slightly the blanket that covered her body above her breasts and peeked under it, just to see her naked form one last time before leaving the bed. Then, he placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder and slowly got up without making any harsh movement and managing not to wake her. It was a difficult task, since her head laid on his chest and one of her arms was settled across his stomach, but years of sneaking away from women while they were asleep had finally payed off.

She stirred a little and muttered his name in her sleep. He smiled at this. Was she dreaming about him, or did she simply miss his touch? Either way, both thoughts made him happy.

He looked for the clothes that she had taken off him. The trousers were right next to the bed, but the shirt had ended up on the desk; he laughed quietly. He dressed without a sound, put on his boots, his coat and his hat, and slowly opened the door to leave, sending one last glance at Narissa before leaving. He shouted orders to his crewmen. The grin didn't leave his face, not only because of the wonderful night he'd had, but also because they were so close to Isla de Muerta and his precious _Pearl._

Narissa woke up about an hour later. With her eyes closed, she stretched her arms, searching for Jack's warmth. When she found no sign of his body, she opened her eyelids and saw that the other half of the bed was empty. She was disappointed, she wanted to wake up next to him, but the sound of the crewmen yelling and working reminded her that there were things to do on the ship. She shouldn't have overslept, she had to work! She wasn't a lazy sailor, after all.

After dressing quickly, she left the captain's cabin. As soon as she set foot on deck, every man's head was turned to her, most of them sent her knowing smiles. She rolled her eyes; they had heard them last night. It didn't surprise her, she knew she had been very loud. She didn't feel embarrassed, they were pirates, they heard those things all the time when they were in Tortuga.

Her eyes scanned the ship until they landed on the captain, who stood proudly at the helm. She was heading to him, but her friend Will stood in front of her, blocking the path with his arms crossed. His face wasn't friendly; in fact, he held a stern expression. "Where were you last night? You didn't sleep with the rest of the crew."

Rolling her eyes, Narissa replied "Do you already know the answer or do I have to lie?" Will turned to glare at Jack, to which she laughed. "Oh, so you already know. There's no point in lying then."

She intended to keep walking towards Jack, but Will stopped her by grabbing her arm. "You know I never cared about who you shared your bed with, but I can't accept this." During years, he had seen many men enter and leave her house and he had never complained or asked questions. In fact, he had even helped her to kick them out a few times. But sleeping with Jack Sparrow? No way.

She freed herself from his grip. "I don't need your opinion on this. It was just a fun night, William, don't give it much importance," she told him after a scoff. That's what she wanted to believe: just a fun night, but deep down she knew that her buried feelings were creeping out from the bottom of her heart. The way he had looked at her, the way she had touched him... It didn't feel like a simple fun night.

Will looked again at the captain, who was steering the wheel. "Do you trust him?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Who? Jack?" When he nodded, she thought for a second. She wasn't too sure of her answer, anybody who knew Jack half as well as she did would have said he was totally untrustworthy. "Well, he's unpredictable, selfish, a liar, and his mind tends to come up with the most complicated plans in order to achieve his own goals." With a brief pause, she glanced at the captain. He definitely didn't deserve to be trusted, but after the previous night... She had felt a connection, she understood him. She had always known that, although he wouldn't believe it, Jack was a good man. "I trust him with my life."

Will seemed confused by her apparently incoherent reply. He would have said something more, he would have tried to convince her that what she had done was wrong and that Jack was evil, but she walked away before any word could leave his mouth. She didn't want to hear it, he would not make her regret spending the night with Jack.

The captain's stare followed her as she headed towards him. She could feel the eyes of the crewmen watching them. When she stood next to him, he released a hand from the wheel to grasp her waist and pull the woman closer to him.

"I had hoped I would wake up next to you," she told him with a tone of fake disappointment. Or at least he thought it was fake.

"I am deeply sorry, luv, but as a captain, my presence was required on deck and not under the sheets." A smirk played on his face, making her own lips curve up into a silly smile that she miserably tried to restrain.

Pressing a hand on his chest, she replied "And as your first mate, I think you should have woken me up, captain," emphasising the last word.

With a swift movement, he turned Narissa so she was pressed between his body and the wooden wheel, facing him. She gasped at the sudden action. Jack leaned down until their noses brushed and whispered "It looked to me that you needed some rest after last night." He moved his head to nuzzle her neck, his beard scratching her skin slightly. She closed her eyes and restrained a moan when his lips left the softest kiss on her collarbone.

They both stopped their affectionate actions when a part of Will's conversation with Gibbs reached their ears: "That night there was a mutiny. The first mate's daughter entered Jack's cabin and seduced him, she chained him so he couldn't do anything during the mutiny." Gibbs looked at Narissa for a second, but Will didn't notice. Her face fell as memories of that awful night filled her mind. "They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die but not before he’d gone mad with the heat."

"So that’s the reason for all the…" Will made strange gestures with his hands, with a weird expression on his face, imitating Jack.

When Narissa chuckled, looking at them from the helm, Jack said to her "Oi! I don't act like that!"

Gibbs' face, however, remained serious and he kept explaining. "Reason’s got nothing to do with it. Now Will, when a man is marooned he is a given a pistol with a single shot. Well, it won’t do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starvin’ belly and thirst, that pistol will start to look real friendly. But Jack, he escaped the island, and he still has that one shot. But he won’t use it, though, save for one man. His mutinous first mate..."

Nodding slowly, finally understanding, Will guessed "Barbossa."

"Aye," Gibbs confirmed.

But a question remained in Will's mind: "How did Jack get off the island?"

"Well, I’ll tell ye. He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creature ‘came and acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed ’em together and made a raft."

Narissa frowned while Gibbs told the unbelievable story and she looked at Jack skeptically. "People actually believe that?"

"You don't?" The captain said, walking down the stairs, heading to the two men.

She followed him shaking her head "Somehow I doubt it's true. I'm not calling you a liar, captain, but you like building your own reputation with all kind of stories."

"What did he use for rope?" they heard Will ask.

Gibbs stayed silent, trying to think of a response. That question had never crossed his mind. Narissa raised her eyebrows and whispered to Jack "I think there's a plot hole in your adventurous tale."

Jack waved his hand at her as if not giving it much importance. He appeared behind Gibbs and Will and replied to the latter's question. "Human hair… From my back." Which was believable enough for his friend, but not for the young man. Narissa made an unpleased face at the disgusting explanation. "Let go of the anchor!" Jack shouted at his crew. "Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore."

Narissa raised her eyebrows and followed Jack quickly as he walked towards a longboat. "Captain, I'm going as well."

"No, you're not, luv," he replied without looking at her. "The captain is leaving the ship. Therefore, the first mate must stay."

Her mouth opened in shock for a moment; then, she scoffed. "Is that why you named me your first mate? So I would stay here while William and you faced  _him_?"

"That was one of the reasons, aye." He finally met her eyes, filled with anger. His hand cupped her cheek, locking his eyes with hers. "I don't want to put you in danger. If anything happened to you..." He decided not to finish the sentence.

Her eyes softened for a second, but it didn't last long. "Then I quit and I name Joshamee first mate," she insisted, pointing at Gibbs.

Jack groaned in annoyance at her stubbornness. "You can't do that. You know it's the captain who names the first name."

With a small pout forming on her lips, she reached for his hand. "Please, Jack," she started with a very soft voice. "You know he won't let his crew hurt me. Maybe I could even protect you and William from him." Her eyes were begging him and he couldn't resist those bright blue orbs. Her voice showed concern not only for her best friend, but also for him, to which his heart fluttered.

The conversation was heard by Will, and his reaction was not unexpected. He joined the pieces of the puzzle: Jack and Narissa's troubled past, Barbossa's daughter who betrayed Jack, the fact that she knew he wouldn't hurt her... Eyes and mouth wide opened, Will pointed a finger at her and said "You're Barbossa's daughter!" loud enough for the whole crew to hear. Narissa's eyes left Jack's to look at her friend apologetically. "You were the one who betrayed him."

"William, this is not the right time to talk about this," she said with a low voice.

"And when is the right time? Because it doesn't look like you were ever going to tell me." He was getting tired of her secrets; she was his best friend, but it felt like he knew nothing about her.

Jack decided to interfere. "Leave her alone, boy. It's not easy for her." Will took a deep breath and managed to calm himself down, but he was still angry that she had kept so many things from him. Jack's hand reached for hers, Narissa looked down at their joined hands to avoid Will's accusing stare. Jack whispered to her "You can come if you want." And she nodded. "Mr. Gibbs! You're the first mate now!"

"Aye, Captain!" He ran towards Jack as he prepared to get into the longboat. Lowering his voice, he asked "What if the worst should happen?"

Jack pondered his answer for a second. "Keep to the Code."

"Aye, the Code," the new first mate repeated while Jack held Narissa's hand to help her get into the boat. After her, the captain and Will followed and they rowed to Isla de Muerta.

The closer they got to the island, the more Narissa's hands shook in fear of what could happen. Her breath became more erratic and she closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down. Every second felt excruciatingly long, making the wait to face her father impossibly worse. Will noticed her shaken state and circled an arm around her shoulders. Maybe they had some problems, but she was still the closest thing he had to a family; he would protect her with his life if it was needed. Seeing her so scared was something new to him and he wasn't sure of what to do. She was always fearless and confident, but right then she seemed so weak and all Will could do was offering her his support. And she was thankful for that, it was all she needed. She just wanted to know that she hadn't lost her best friend.


	16. The Reunion

The group of three -Narissa, Will and Jack- were in a small boat, heading towards the skull-shaped island. In the far distance, a black ship could be seen, anchored by the shore. Jack's eyes lingered on it for a moment. As they arrived at the island, they saw a narrow river that ran through Isla de Muerta; they followed it. The water entered a dark cave in which the cursed pirates were gathered, their voices echoed in the air.

From the boat, the young Will saw a skull beneath the water and a shiver ran through his spine. He gulped and turned slightly to Jack, who was rowing. "What code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?"

"Pirate's Code," the captain replied simply, then explained to the confused boy. "Any man that falls behind..."

"...is left behind," Narissa finished for him, no emotion in her voice.

"No heroes amongst thieves, eh?" Will said, not surprised at all by this pirate rule.

Rolling his eyes, Jack told him "Y'know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates you're well on your way to becoming one. Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga..."

"You're father was a pirate," the woman added with a knowing smile and, surprisingly, the young man didn't give her an angry reply.

Suddenly, a golden glow rised from the water. Both men looked at the gold on the bottom of the river, stupefied. Jack commented "And you're completely obsessed with treasure."

Finally, the boat was stopped next to an opening that led to the gathering. Will climbed down the boat while saying "That's not true. I am not obsessed with treasure."

Jack held Narissa's hand to help her step on land and, locking eyes with her, he whispered "Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."

She smiled fondly at his words; but she was determined to suppress her feelings for him, they only had a fun night, nothing more. Even if he had confessed he felt something for her, Jack was still Jack. He pulled her towards the opening, followed by Will. On the sloped floor, many coins were scattered around.

They looked at the reunion of pirates, all the crew was gathered around their captain: Hector Barbossa. For the first time in ten years, Narissa saw her father. She almost felt as the first time she saw him: nervous, afraid, uncertain of what would happen.

"Gentlemen, the time has come! Our salvation is nigh! Our torment is near at end." He stood next to a big stone chest. By his side, there was a woman dressed in a dark red velvety dress; her dirty blond hair was messy and it was clear in her eyes that she hadn't slept in days.

"Elizabeth!" Will exclaimed in a whisper. He would have jumped out of their hiding place if Narissa hadn't held him back by his shoulders. When the boy looked at his friend begging to let him go, she shook her head determined. They had to wait.

Barbossa's voice echoed through the cave. "For ten years we've been tested and tried, and each man of you here has proved his mettle a hundred times over and a hundred times again!"

All the men cheered, including a voice, which Narissa thought to recognise, saying painfully "Suffered, I have!" She tried hard to remember who that voice belonged to, but it had been too long since she had seen the crew.

"Punished, we were. The lot of us, disproportionate to our crimes!" At her father's words, Narissa scoffed; she thought they deserved every existing curse for their betrayal.

With a smile growing on her face at the spectacle he was pulling off, she commented "He really enjoys drama."

Jack muffled a laugh. "He always liked being the centre of attention. Look at that hat." He pointed at the cursed captain's big hat.

Kicking off the chest's lid, he revealed hundreds of golden coins, exactly like the one that hung from Elizabeth's neck. Barbossa continued. "Here it is! The cursed treasure of Cortés himself. Every last piece that went astray, we have returned... Save for this." He held Elizabeth's medallion. She stiffened at the proximity of his hand.

Once again, Will tried to go save the love of his life. With his harsh movement, some of the treasure at his feet fell down the sloped floor, making some noise. Jack pulled him down and whispered "Not yet. We wait for the opportune moment."

The young man was getting tired of the pirate's mysterious plans; it looked like he didn't intend to save Elizabeth. He knew he was up to something. "When's that? When it's of greatest profit to you?"

Grabbing his arm, Jack carried him away from the opening. "May I ask you something? Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" He didn't let Will answer to that and kept talking. "Do us a favor, I know it's difficult for you, but please stay here and try not to do anything stupid." Holding Narissa's hand tightly once again, Jack took her away with him, ready to perform his plan.

Meanwhile, Barbossa took a knife, his voice was heard clearly. "Begun by blood... By blood undone."

All of a sudden, Narissa heard a loud bang next to her, the tight hold on Narissa's hand was loosened and Jack dropped in a second.

"Sorry, Jack." She heard and turned around to see Will with an oar in his hands. He had knocked him out. "I'm not going to be your leverage."

Shocked by her friend's actions, Narissa instantly dropped to her knees and shook Jack's shoulders in an attempt to wake him up. Will looked down at her frowning. "Come on, Narissa, you heard him. We must leave him behind. Pirate's Code."

She looked at her friend for a second with angry eyes. "The Code is more like guidelines, anyway." Barbossa had taught her that long ago.

Impatiently, the man responded "Come with me. If you stay, you'll have to face Barbossa." She knew this, but she just couldn't leave Jack to die.

"I will face him if I can protect Jack," she told him determined. Will stared at her, feeling betrayed. How could she risk so much for him? "I can't leave him behind," she finished, her voice was shaky, weak.

With a final sigh, Will left to save Elizabeth while the still cursed pirates argued about what had gone wrong. The curse hadn't been broken after slicing the girl's hand and using her blood. They eventually found out that she was not a Turner, as she had told them, so she was not the person they needed.

Narissa kept shaking Jack's shoulders, whispering "Come on, Jackie. We must get out of here, please!" She was getting anxious. The more time it took to wake him up, the closer her father would get. "Don't make me slap you, Jack..."

She rested a hand on his cheek, getting ready to slap him hard enough to wake him. However, the captain's eyelids fluttered open before she could lower her hand. His dark eyes met her blue ones and he let out a lazy smile as he saw her hovering over him, with her dark brown hair falling in waves around her face. She looked glorious. "Am I in Heaven?" he asked in a whisper.

Her short laugh was mixed with a sigh of relief as she stood up and offered him a hand to stand up. "There's no way you're going to Heaven."

Jack brought his hand to the back of his head and hissed in pain. "That whelp..."

"He's definitely on his way to become a pirate," Narissa commented, sounding almost proudly. "Let's get out of here before Barbossa arrives," she urged Jack, who took the oar that had knocked him out and used it to support himself; he was feeling a bit dizzy after that hit on his head. Meanwhile, Will managed to get Elizabeth out of there. They were on their way back to the _Interceptor_.

They walked around trying to find the way out of the dark cave with no luck. Eventually, they accidentally bumped into the cursed crew. They all looked shockingly at Jack, as if they were seeing a ghost and Narissa was unnoticed. She had changed physically, grown up, so the crew didn't recognise the teenage girl they once were so fond of. All of them had worked for Jack before the mutiny. Narissa slowly hid behind Jack, pressing her body against his back and silently praying that they would not recognise her.

"You," a skinny pirate whispered pointing at him. Both of them recognised him, it was Ragetti. Next to him was a balding chubby pirate, Pintel.

Pintel, with his eyes focused on his former captain, exclaimed "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Am I not?" Jack responded looking down at himself. "Oh!" With a shrug, he turned around with the intention of walking away, pushing Narissa forward, only to find pistols pointing at them. More pirates blocked their path. Trying to save his life, Jack muttered "Palulay... Palu-li-la-la-lulu, parlili... Parsnip, pasley, par- partner...

"You mean parley?" Narissa whispered into his ear, still trying to hide behind Jack while gripping his arm tightly, searching for safety.

"Parley!" He repeated loudly, a sudden relief running through him. "That's the one. Thanks, luv. Parley! Parley!"

Angry, Pintel said "Parley? Down to the depths whatever man that thought up 'parley'!" while pointing his gun at Jack's head.

Jack leaned forward and pushed the gun down before saying "That would be the French."

When Narissa restrained a laugh at the pirate's comment, every eye fixed on her. Warily, Pintel asked "Miss Narissa?" not sure if he should trust his eyes. Gasps filled the air as everyone finally recognised who was the girl standing in front of them: their captain's daughter. She looked down to the floor, avoiding their surprised looks as she heard their whispers flying around.

Pintel smiled mischievously and said "So we have Jack Sparrow and Narissa Barbossa right here... The captain will be pleased to see you two..."

After a sign of his hand, two pirates grabbed Jack by his shoulders and pushed him forwards to make him walk. Another couple of crewmen approached Narissa, but stopped as soon as she raised a threatening hand. "Nobody will touch me." They recognised the cold stare of her blue eyes, identical to her father's; threatening, angry and dangerous.

They backed away and Pintel quickly said "Of course, Miss Narissa, could you follow us?" She kept her stern face, her arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow. "...Please," Pintel added.

Narissa followed Pintel, with Jack being pushed behind her, to the part of the cave were the crew had gathered previously. There, standing proudly, stood Hector Barbossa. His harsh expression softened and his eyes widened. In front of him stood his only weakness, his long lost little daughter, now ten years older. With a deep breath, she dared to look at him with her confident eyes. Taking a few steps forward, he warily reached out a hand to caress her face and make sure she was actually there; however, she backed away, rejecting his touch, disgusted.

The captain hid the pain he felt by his daughter's reaction and looked at Jack, narrowing his eyes. What was she doing with him? But a more important question escaped his mouth. "How the blazes did you get off that island?" he asked his nemesis.

Jack, who was resting his weight on the oar, replied "When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate." He stopped as he showed his trademark smile. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Narissa laughed under her breath, shaking her head at the way he kept feeding his ego even in a situation like that.

The cursed captain glared at him. "Ah, well, I won't be making that mistake again." He turned to walk away. "Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow!" Barbossa exclaimed while grabbing his daughter's arm and carrying her with him. "Kill him," he ordered simply and all the pirates pointed their weapons at Jack.

Narissa gasped as she tried to get free from her father's hold. "Wait, no! You can't kill him!" she shouted, struggling against his grip.

Barbossa stopped walking and looked down at her. "And why is that?"

Jack's smirk became wider as he said "The girl's blood didn't work, did it?"

Barbossa's face froze. "Hold your fire!" he shouted; reluctantly, the pirates lowered their weapons as their captain turned to Jack once again. "You know whose blood we need?"

Jack's smile wasn't erased from his face, everything was going as he had planned so far, except for being knocked out. "I know whose blood ye need."

Barbossa narrowed his eyes and looked between Jack and Narissa, who were staring at each other as if they were worried about one another. "Jack, I'm having an idea... What if I kill you and let my daughter here tell me whose blood will break the curse?" Jack gulped at his former first mate's words, he hadn't thought of this.

"I don't know who is it that you need," Narissa lied to save Jack's skin. "Jack didn't tell me who's Turner's kid."

The old captain pondered her words for some moments, not really sure that he should believe his daughter. He knew she was good at lying, he had taught her, after all. In the end, he decided that, even if she knew the truth, he would never get an answer from her mouth; she was stubborn and he would not torture his own daughter to get that information.

Tearing his eyes away of Narissa's proud face, Barbossa looked at the smirking Jack, his former captain. Reluctantly, he obliged to the woman's petition not to kill the pirate. "Men, we're going to the _Pearl_."

Narissa followed her father, who walked at the front leading his crew. Meanwhile, Bo'sun held Jack's wrists tightly behind his back and pushed him forwards, making him walk with the others. Barbossa, Narissa, Jack and Bo'sun, who held the oars, got into the same longboat.

In the distance, they could see the _Black Pearl_ , as they rowed closer to it. It's darkened wood and sails made it look fierce and dangerous, yet majestic. Jack wouldn't stop staring at the ship, longing stayed in his brown eyes. Narissa noticed his pained expression and had to stop herself from reaching out a hand to hold his. As Jack's eyes were fixed on his beloved _Pearl_ , he got even more determined to get it back.


	17. Negotiations

After ten years, Jack Sparrow finally set foot onto the Black Pearl again. Bo'sun pushed him forward while Narissa followed after them, side by side with her father. When Bo'sun released his grip from Jack's shoulders, Narissa approached the man. He looked around at the dark ship, from the helm to the top of its broken sails, searching for any damage on the vessel. A trace of longing and pain tainted his eyes. A slight frown sat between his eyebrows as memories of the ship flooded his mind. It was obvious that he had missed it terribly. She didn't know everything that he had done for the Pearl, she didn't know he had risked his life for it, she didn't know the agreement he had done to get it in the first place. But she did know the love he felt for it; other people wouldn't understand it, but she did. Jack without the Black Pearl was Jack without freedom. They should not be separated.

Narissa walked in silence towards him, noticing his expression. She could almost hear his thoughts. "She's as beautiful as I remember her," she told him, referring to the ship as a female, like it was usual between sailors.

A small smile played on Jack's lips and he murmured "She is. But I expected your father would take better care of her." He glanced at the ripped sails and ran a hand along the wooden rail with a sigh.

"You'll get her back. She's always been yours," she assured him, holding his hand in hers. Something made his heart skip a beat. Maybe it was the softness of her voice or the warmth of her hand on top of his.

"I will get her back." He wasn't sure what he was referring to. The ship? The woman in front of him? Both?

Barbossa stood between the couple, breaking their contact. He looked at his daughter and then at Jack questioningly. "You two come to me' cabin," he ordered and both of them followed him inside.

Barbossa sat at the table, a small monkey was beside him. Narissa looked at the animal, who quickly left his place on the table and ran to her, settling on her shoulder. It wasn't the same monkey that accompanied Barbossa years before; he used to have a female named Polly, but she unfortunately died when Barbossa's ship was sunk, some months before meeting Jack. Apparently, he acquired this new monkey after Narissa left him.

While Jack didn't seem to give it much importance, Barbossa looked extremely curious at the animal's closeness to the woman. His pet didn't grow fond of people easily. The monkey nestled his tiny head on her neck and she gently, but reluctantly, petted his thin fur.

"He likes ye'," Barbossa commented, but she decided to ignore him and simply sat at the desk in front of him. The monkey left her shoulder to run back to his master's side. The captain turned to Jack. "I can only think that you want to negotiate for the Pearl."

"Aye! I have a proposition that you won't be able to deny. We both could get some profit from this situation." Jack beamed, trying to look as calmed as possible.

Barbossa ran a hand through his unkempt beard. "I'm listening..."

"How 'bout I tell you the name of the person you need in exchange of the Pearl, and I leave you at a deserted island?" He finished with an innocent smile.

Barbossa almost laughed at his ridiculous proposition; Narissa could even see the shadow of a smile on his face. "So you expect to leave me standing on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it's the one I need, and watch you sail away in my ship?" He struggled to hide a laugh by the end of his words.

"No!" Jack shook his head as he began walking around the room. Barbossa followed him with his eyes. "I expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away with Narissa on MY ship." He pointed at himself. "And then I'll shout the name back to you." He stopped next to Narissa, who smiled at his plans of sailing together. He leaned on the table and, sending his old first mate his famous smirk, he added "Savvy?"

Barbossa thought for a moment and frowned. "But that still leaves us with the problem of me standing on some beach with naught but a name and your word it's the one I need." Narissa read his face and she was shocked at realising that her father was actually considering to accept Jack's proposition.

Jack then noticed the bowl full of apples that rested on the table and grabbed one of them while saying "Of the three of us, I am the only one who hasn't committed mutiny. Therefore... My word is the one we'll be trusting." Narissa sent Jack an angry glance. However, as much as it hurt her, he was right. Jack sat down on the only free chair, next to the woman, bringing his legs up and resting them on the table. "Although... I suppose I should be thanking you because, in fact, if you hadn't betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse, same as you." He bit into the apple and, with his mouth full, he added "Funny ol' world, innit?" Barbossa nodded his head and for a second his daughter could see a trace of sadness and regret on his face.

Jack then offered Narissa a bite of his apple, knowing that it was her favourite fruit, but she rejected it. She didn't feel like eating, she had a bad feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

As if he was reading her mind, Bo'sun entered the cabin, interrupting the negotiations. "Captain, we're coming up on the Interceptor," he informed and the monkey immediately jumped and ran away, startling Jack.

Worry invaded Narissa's body. She knew there was no chance that Will, Elizabeth and the crew could beat the Black Pearl. If she remembered right, they didn't even have munition to load the cannons. When Barbossa left the cabin, Jack and Narissa immediately followed him. Before Jack could walk up the stairs to the helm, Narissa grabbed his arm, making him stop.

"This isn't going as you had planned, is it?"

The pirate saw the worry on her face. "I have everything under control." There was no hesitation in his voice, nothing in his eyes that could bring her to the conclusion that he was lying, that his plan was being shattered to pieces.

"If anything happens to William or Lizzy, I will-"

He interrupted her by saying "No harm will come to them, or to you." He grabbed her hand and she almost melted under his touch. She forced herself to believe him. A second later, Jack was running after Barbossa and standing in front of him next to the wheel. He blocked the view of the Interceptor. Narissa followed quickly. "I'm having a thought here, Barbossa," Jack started. "What say we run up a flag of truce? I scurry over to the Interceptor, and I negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?"

Shaking his head, Barbossa replied "Now, you see, Jack... That's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easier to search when they're dead." Jack's face fell. Barbossa turned to Bo'sun and ordered "Lock him in the brig" before throwing Jack's apple to the sea while they carried him away.

Narissa stared at Jack as they took him below deck, then she stood in front of her father. "You don't need to do this." He raised his eyebrows. "You only need the medallion and a bit of someone's blood; you can talk to them and I'm sure you can get to an agreement. There is no reason to kill anyone, you just need some patience!"

"Patience!?" Barbossa almost yelled, his eyes full of anger. She gulped. "For ten years I've been unable to die, wishing that death would take me. I starve everyday, and the unbearable thirst won't leave. I feel nothing. No cold, no warmth, nor the taste of food and drink. I think I have been patient enough." The anger in his cold blue eyes turned into sadness with every word; desperation was evident in his voice. The more she looked at his expression, the worse she felt for him, so she looked away. "Look at me," he demanded. Hesitantly, she obeyed. "Do you still think I deserve this?"

No words left her mouth. If he had asked her five minutes before, she would have replied "yes, absolutely" with no hesitation. But looking into his eyes, she could see her father. Her true father, the one she knew and admired, hidden somewhere under this monster that he'd somehow become. The man that had taught her everything she knew and loved, that risked his life to protect her more than once. He was truly suffering the consequences of his decisions.

She took a deep breath so her voice wouldn't shake. "I think that you've already payed for your actions." She looked down at her own hands. "I'm not going to promise that I will free you, I won't betray Jack or-" She stopped herself from accidentally saying Will's name. "- or any of my friends. But I hope you'll be free soon."

She suddenly gave him a tight hug. Almost immediately, Barbossa's arms were around her and he closed his eyes, trying hard to feel his daughter's embrace, but he couldn't. It was like hugging a shadow. At that moment, he remembered the first hug she ever gave him; it happened the day they met.

**~ 14 years before ~**

_A 13 year old girl sat on a barrel by the docks, her head bent down over the dagger in her hands as she sharpened the blade. The weapon she held was the only thing she had to protect herself in Tortuga. She had only used it a few times, maybe three or four. Fortunately, she would walk around the island unnoticed and no danger would come to her and, if it did come, she preferred running or hiding than using the dagger._

_In the time she had spent in the island, she'd met a few nice and helpful people, the ones who helped her to survive, but mostly evil people, robbers, prostitutes, pirates, women who claimed to be witches, men who tried to sell miraculous bervages that, they assured, could cure anything. She had met all kind of people except for the only person she wanted to meet: Hector Barbossa, captain of the Cobra, her father._

_Three years._

_Three years she'd been waiting on the island where they had assured her that every pirate docked at._

_Three years and still no sign of him, except for some rumours that the other pirates would bring from their travels._

_Three years listening to stories about the fearsome captain that was her father, her admiration for him growing with every tale. He seemed to be so smart, so cunning, so brave._

_Three years imagining what it would be like to have a father, to be part of his crew, to sail, to escape from land._

_And finally, after three years, the young Narissa raised her head and looked at the sea. Her eyes rested on a ship that was docking at the port. As soon as she saw the black flag with a white skull and two crossed swords beneath it, she knew: the Cobra. Wide eyed, she jumped down from the barrel and hid her dagger, almost dropping it. She ran as fast as she could towards the pirate ship, dodging the people who blocked her way._

_She arrived and waited impatiently at the dock as sailors climbed down from the ship, her feet shuffling nervously, her hands folded tightly behind her back. The last sailor who set foot on the island had a big hat on top oh his head and a small monkey sat on his shoulder._

_When the man, who seemed to be the captain she was looking for, walked passed her, she lost the hability to talk. He was walking away and she realised that, if she didn't say something, she'd probably have to wait three more years to get this opportunity again._

_"Captain Barbossa!" she shouted. These were surely the longest seconds of her life. He didn't turn around at first and her heart dropped. Maybe this wasn't the man she was waiting for, maybe she had mistaken his pirate flag. Fortunately, he did turn around with a frown and hesitantly, slowly, walked towards the girl._

_He eyed her from head to toe and thought that she couldn't be older than fourteen. She was short, her head didn't reach his shoulders, and her uncontrollable dark brown hair was a mess because of her running. He noticed a dagger was attached to her hip, but he didn't consider it a threat. In fact, he guessed she just used it to scare people off._

_"You called me, girl?"_

_She nodded, studying his look. The big hat almost hid his face, covered with scars and wrinkles across his sun-damaged skin. His unkempt beard made him look older than he probably was and, in general, he held this scary look that made his sailors respect him. He didn't scare her._

_"My name is Narissa." His eyes showed surprise for a second, as if he knew that name. "My mother was Agata Marino. You visited Venice once, around fourteen years ago and met her." The girl's Italian accent was evident back then. "I think you understand what I am trying to say."_

_"You think you're my daughter," he stated. He clearly didn't expect that this day would come. What were the chances that a girl would travel from another continent and find her pirate father?_

_"I know I am," she said, raising her chin proudly, which made him chuckle. "My mother told me about you, your name, your... job, if you want to call it like that. She sent you letters sometimes, I believe she mentioned me in them." He nodded at this. "You never replied, though, so I don't know if you ever received them or chose to ignore them." He opened his mouth to explain, but she didn't let him talk. "Don't worry, she knew you didn't love her, she didn't love you either. She simply wanted me to know I had a father and you to know you had a daughter. She believed that was the right thing to do." A brief pause followed as she thought of her next words. She'd been thinking of what to say on this day for years, but now talking became complicated. "I grew up listening to stories about pirates and about you. My mother died three years ago and I decided to come here to find you. I have nothing, I have nobody. I can't fight, I can barely defend myself, I don't know how to swim or how to work on a ship, I've been caught stealing too many times, but I am a fast learner." He was now beginning to understand what she wanted from him. "All the time I spent here, I've been dreaming of meeting you and asking you to join your crew."_

_The pirate liked her attitude. She stood proudly with her chin up, and not only to look at him, but also to show courage. He wondered how a girl had been able to survive alone in Tortuga since she was ten years old. She had to be fierce and stronger than her small form showed._

_He knelt down and looked into her eyes. Fierce blue, like a storm at sea. They were his own eyes, and his mother's before him. There was no doubt: She was his child. And if, by any chance, she wasn't, he didn't care now. He liked her, she was proud and strong._

_"Well, Miss Barbossa, we better find ye' a sword before you get onto me ship." A huge smile formed on her face and she threw her arms around him, taking him by surprise. Shockingly, he found comfort in her embrace._

**~~~~~~~**

He missed her hugs. Even though he couldn't feel it, Narissa's embrace sent him a wave of comfort that only she could provide.

What he didn't know, was that she was actually searching for the keys of the cells. Her fingers wrapped around them when she found the small metal object in the pocket of her father's coat. Breaking their embrace, she hid the key under her sleeve with a swift unnoticeable movement. She smiled sweetly at him as she walked away while the Interceptor approached them, its crew getting closer to their doom with every second.

She didn't want to take part in the coming battle. What was the point? She knew her friends didn't stand a chance; Barbossa knew it as well; even they knew. Of course, Will and Elizabeth wouldn't surrender without a fight, they were equally bold; their boldness could be mistaken with stupidity. A boy and girl who knew nothing about naval battles leading a bunch of mad men against a crew of undying pirates? Narissa would be surprised if the battle lasted for more than fifteen minutes.

Therefore, she decided that the best thing to do was to free the man who supposedly had everything under control, although he was currently locked in a cell. Like this, he could carry on with his magnificent plan, if he actually had one, which she was beginning to doubt. Even if Jack initially had an infallible plan to follow, she was quite sure that now was the moment to improvise.

Avoiding being noticed by her father or any other sailor, she walked to the cells below deck. She saw Jack in his brig, kneeling on the floor to look through a small hole on the ship's hull.

"Still want to convince me that you have everything under control?" she asked, making him turn to her.

"I can get out of here," he assured her.

"Of course you can." She laughed as she reached for the keys hidden in her sleeve.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "How did you get that?"

"I guess my father taught me so well how to steal, he didn't even notice when I took this from him..." She finished with a smirk, playing with the metallic key between her fingers. Jack looked at her admiringly, smiling. She added "I'll get you out when everyone is busy with the battle, so nobody will notice us getting back to the Interceptor."

Jack nodded in agreement and sat down with a sigh. "My plan would have worked out if that whelp hadn't acted so stupidly, knocking me out and now attacking the Pearl. I don't know what he's thinking about," Jack said, referring to Will.

"He's hopelessly in love. People who are in love do stupid things all the time," Narissa told him with a smile. She had never seen a man as enamoured as Will; he would die for Elizabeth.

"I don't do stupid things," Jack muttered under his breath, but Narissa heard him anyway.

Turning her head to him, she asked "What does that mean?"

He panicked for a second. "Nothing!" was all he managed to say. Trying to explain his words would have made him sound like a fool. She didn't press the matter, but didn't stop thinking about his words. Sure, they had spent a great night together and she had felt something indescribable. Her feelings for Jack had only grown with time, but he was still Jack Sparrow. Love wasn't a word he would ever think of.

Cannon fire began to ring in the air, together with the yells of the crewmen. Somehow, the crew of the Interceptor had managed to find something to load the cannons, probably using anything they could see, and they were firing the Black Pearl, but causing minimum damage to it. Narissa knew that soon would come the opportune moment to free Jack and leave the ship between all the chaos.

One of the shots hit the cell in which Jack stayed, making a hole as big as a head on the hull. "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" he shouted angrily while laying on the floor, afraid of any damage coming to his precious Pearl.

Noticing that the yells grew louder and the turmoil became stronger, Narissa grabbed the keys and opened the door of Jack's cell. "Time to go."

 


	18. Rash Actions

It was time to get Jack out of his cell. Narissa reached for the key under her sleeve and unlocked the cell's door that separated her from Jack.

"Thanks, dear," he said with a flirty smirk as she kept the key back in her sleeve.

On board, they passed through Barbossa's crewmen and headed to the side of the ship that was facing the  _Interceptor_. Jack stood on the wooden rail. A sailor hanged from a rope to sweep from the  _Interceptor_  to the  _Black Pearl_ ; Jack took the rope from him and playfully said "Thank you very much." Then, he looked at Narissa. "You better hold on me tight if you don't want to fall." She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "We should try this position some time, aye?" Her hands almost slipped from his body upon hearing those words. Laughing, Jack swept both of them onto he  _Interceptor_.

They landed right next to Elizabeth, who, dressed in that red velvety dress, was firing a gun at Barbossa's crew. Her hair was messy, her dress was so different that was she usually wore and her face was dirty, but Narissa could see in her eyes that she was actually enjoying this. She was inside the pirate stories she read as a kid, living her dream for some minutes, feeling like a pirate, as she so badly had wanted to feel for years.

Behind her, a pirate was about to hit her, but Jack held his hand before it could reach her face. "That's not very nice." Looking at the girl's chest, he then asked "Where's the medallion?"

Elizabeth was about to slap him. "Wretch!" But Narissa caught her wrist right when it was an inch away from he pirate's face. Both Jack and Narissa saw on her hand the bandage that covered the slice that Barbossa had made before Will rescued her.

Narissa looked around looking for her friend. Since she couldn't find him, she asked with concern "Where's William?!" Elizabeth looked at a metallic grate on the floor, panicked, and both women ran towards it. A part of the mast had fallen on top of the grate, so Will was trapped under it. The monkey escaped from the grate with the medallion and ran away to his master.

Narissa shouted Will's name in desperation, seeing how the water was entering the ship quickly and it would reach his head in a matter of minutes. He called for the girls, trying to push the grate open, but it was impossible. Not knowing what to do, Narissa even tried to push away the fallen mast; of course, it didn't move an inch.

"Don't you dare to die, William!" she shouted. "I'm not letting you die," she muttered to herself. However, she could see the salty water covering her best friend almost completely.

The woman saw Will diving in, while two cursed pirates grabbed her by the waist, as another one held Elizabeth, and tried to pull her away from the grate. She held onto it until the metal made her hands bleed.

"Let me go!" The men kept pulling her forcefully until she released her grip. "No! William! WILLIAM!" she screamed with a mixture of anger and desperation, her high pitched voice breaking the air. She kept yelling and protesting, trying to reach fo her sword and to punch the men who tore her away from her brother, as she was carried back to the  _Black Pearl._

On the black vessel, they let her go. They took the beautiful sword that Will had made for her and the pistol that Jack gave her. Tears gathered in her eyes, threatening to fall. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands to hold back the tears, before turning around. The crew was there, as well as Elizabeth and, of course, Jack. Barbossa's crewmen had tied Jack's crew and Elizabeth around the mast. Jack and Narissa, however, were not held back.

She heard Pintel saying "If any of you so much as thinks the word 'parley', I'll have your guts for garters."

Meanwhile, Barbossa held in his hand the medallion that had took him so long to find, while he stared in the direction of the  _Interceptor_ , apparently waiting for something to happen. Just when Elizabeth freed herself from the rope that held her against the mast, the  _Interceptor_  exploded, causing her and Narissa to gasp in terror and the cursed pirates to laugh. Even Jack seemed startled. Barbossa smirked as the loud bang filled his ears and the flames and smoke covered the ship.

"Will!" The younger woman whispered, but Narissa seemed to have lost her voice. She simply stared at the remains of the ship burning above the water.

Jack looked at her with sad eyes. He could almost feel her heart drowning with Will. He had heard her cries from the other ship and there was nothing he wanted more than kiss her sadness away. When he noticed her bleeding hands, his stomach twisted in anger. He admired her even more, if that was possible, knowing that it required two men, twice the size of her, to tear her away from the boy. And even with two men it had been a difficult task.

He walked to her and held her damaged hands carefully. His touch was delicate despite the roughness of his own skin. He kissed her knuckles softly. Barbossa glared at the scene, his expression was full of anger upon seeing his daughter in the hands of such man.

"You did all you could do," Jack muttered, his eyes searched for hers, but but she kept her gaze on the floor.

"I should have done more," was her dry reply.

The boy she promised herself she would protect until her last day, was now dead. She thought of all the decisions she had made since this aventure started. She thought of a thousand things she could have done that would have avoided his death. She should have left Isla de Muerta with him. She should have stayed by his side and maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Elizabeth ran towards Barbossa, yelling at him, and tried to punch him, but he was faster and grabbed her wrists. His face was very close to hers as she struggled to get free. "Welcome back, Miss. You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now you return the favor." He shoved her to some of his men, who didn't doubt to try to touch her everywhere. Elizabeth yelled, trying to escape from their hands.

The moment Narissa rushed to help her, she heard the familiar voice that she thought she'd never hear again. "Barbossa!"

Every head turned around. Narissa was convinced that her ears had failed her, but there he was: William, standing on the rail of the  _Black Pearl_ , soaking wet. She had never been so happy to see him. Everyone's expressions changed to one of surprise and confusion, except for Elizabeth and Narissa's. Their faces held admiration, happiness, relief. How the hell had he survived being drowned and exploded? They didn't care. The important thing was that he was alright.

The young man jumped down and grabbed Jack's pistol, which was nearby. "She goes free!" he shouted, looking at Elizabeth.

Barbossa frowned, confused by his rash actions, as he took a few steps forward. "What's in your head, boy?"

"She. Goes. Free," he repeated, even more determined than the first time, pointing the gun at the captain.

"You've only got one shot, and we can't die," Barbossa reminded him with a side smile, standing right in front of the pistol.

Will glanced at Jack; Narissa heard the pirate saying under his breath "Don't do anything stupid."

Looking back at Barbossa, he stood on the rail once again. "You can't. I can," he stated while pointing the gun at himself, right under his chin.

Jack, knowing that he should have seen that coming, sighed. "Like that."

Barbossa was confused, as well as his crew. He gave a step forward. "Who are you?"

Before his plan was totally ruined, Jack decided to intervene. If Will gave up his name, Jack would have nothing to trade with. Therefore, he ran and stepped in front of his old first mate. "No one. He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed.  Lovely singing voice, though. Eunuch." Narissa would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious.

However, Will's voice made Jack stop trying to carry on with his plan and he walked back to Narissa's side. "My name is Will Turner! My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins." Every pirate exclaimed in realisation, murmuring about how he looked exactly like his father. Although she was disappointed that Jack's plan had definetely failed, Narissa had to hide her smile at knowing that William had finally accepted that his father was a pirate. He cocked the pistol and added "On my word, do as I say or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker."

The captain thought for a moment. "Name your terms, Mr. Turner."

"Elizabeth goes free!"

Rolling his eyes, he replied "Yes, we know that one. Anything else?"

Will thought for a moment, he hadn't thought that far ahead. His main goal was to save the love of his life. Jack discreetly pointed at himself and at Narissa, so he wouldn't forget about them. 

The young man quickly added "And the crew, the crew are not to be harmed. And you will let Narissa go wherever she wants to go."

Jack's expression changed drastically. Barbossa stepped towards Will, giving him an evil smile. "Agreed."

Narissa knew her father too well and she suspected he would trick William. She had a very bad feeling about this.

Turning to Jack, she murmured "We're fucked."

"I am. The whelp is. Probably his lass, too. But he won't hurt you," he reassured her.

~~~~~~

A few hours later, the captain ordered to cast anchor as they approached a small island. There were no people, no buildings, no other islands nearby; it was completely deserted. Both Narissa and Jack knew what was coming.

Elizabeth was shoved to the edge of the plank. All swords were pointed at her so she wouldn't turn back. Her body shook in fear as she looked down at the water. Narissa felt sorry that all she could do was watch in silence, since her hands were now tightly tied together with thick rope, burning her wrists.

"Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!" Will shouted angrily.

"Don't dare impugn me honor, boy!" the captain shouted back. "I agreed she'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when nor where!" Every cursed pirate laughed loudly.

Then, they made Elizabeth take off the velvety red dress she was wearing, leaving her in a silk underdress. Bo'Sun finally slammed his foot on the plank, causing the woman to fall into the sea. The pirates laughed loudly; even Jack laughed with them until Narissa glared at him and kicked his ribs with her elbow.

"Ow!"

At that moment, he was pushed onto the plank. Narissa looked at him with worry. Memories of the mutiny flooded their minds. He turned to Barbossa and said "I really rather hoped we were past all this."

His old first mate threw an arm around his shoulders. "Jack, Jack... Did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip." He nodded his head towards the piece of land.

The younger pirate turned around for a second, then back at Barbossa. "I did notice."

"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape. But I doubt it," he commented while drawing his sword, that evil smile never leaving his face. Jack looked down at the blade near his neck, trying not to look afraid. "Off you go."

Jack's eyes locked with Narissa's. It was just like the last time: The woman he loved staring at him with sad eyes, wishing she could stop this madness and save him, as her father left him to die . The woman shouted "Last time you left him a pistol with one shot." Jack thanked her silently with a small smile.

Narrowing his eyes and lowering the sword, Barbossa exclaimed "By the powers, you're right! Where be Jack's pistol? Bring it forward!" A pirate handed the pistol, the compass and the sword to Barbossa.

Jack glanced back at the water below him, hesitating, and added "Seeing as there's two of us, a gentleman would give us a pair of pistols," he said, hoping that the captain would agree. He sent Narissa a reassuring smile to make her believe that everything would be alright, but it didn't work.

"It'll be one pistol, as before. You can be the gentleman and shoot the lady, and starve to death yourself!" He tossed the pistol, sword and compass into the sea. Jack went wide-eyed, but a second later he was diving in after the objects after glancing at Narissa one last time.

Narissa stared hopelessly at the water, watching the man she was so fond of swimming away to the island that would most likely be his tomb. She gulped, trying to remove the knot that was forming in her throat, as her father approached. "I can't believe you did it again," she whispered.

He looked at her, frowning. "You still love him." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

She scoffed and tightly closed her hands in fists. "What do you know about being in love?"

"Nothing," he agreed. "But I do know about you being in love. You look at him the way you did ten years ago." He sounded angry; he hated the fact that his daughter held those feelings for a man like Jack.

"And yet you decided to leave him to die without caring about my feelings," she said through gritted teeth before adding "Again."

His simple response was "I'm a pirate."

"You're my father," she replied quickly with her eyes fixed on the ocean. "You're jealous of him, aren't you?" He looked at her with a questioning expression, but she didn't look back. "You're jealous that he's such a great pirate, that he became a captain at such a young age, that the whole world wants him dead but he always manages to escape." It was then that she looked at her father with cold eyes. "You hate the fact that I admire him more than I will ever admire you."

At that moment, as she watched history repeat itself, she realised that her father was right: She loved him, even more than ten years before. No matter how hard she tried to suppress her feelings, or how well she knew that she would just be another one of his conquests, he had stolen her heart again. She couldn't let the man she loved die without her. She couldn't leave him behind. She wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing that Jack was dying on that island, not again.

She glanced at her weapons and, when her father turned around to leave her alone, she ran towars them, grabbed her pistol and sword, and jumped into the freezing water.


	19. Desperation

  
Breathless, Narissa arrived at the beach of the island after a long swim. Her tied hands held her sword and pistol; she dropped them to the sand and lifted her gaze. She looked around for a second. The island was small, some tall palm trees stood some feet away from her. There was not a cloud in the sky, the sun brushed her skin fiercely.

Her eyes fell on Jack, who was sitting on the sand, barefoot, drying the parts of his pistol carefully. Somehow, he had freed himself from the rope around his wrists. A sigh of relief passed through her lips; he was alright. She then searched for her friend; where was Elizabeth? When her eyes fell on the footprints that led away, she guessed that the woman was inspecting the island.

Jack's gaze left his weapon to settle on the woman who had just arrived. His eyes widened, she souldn't be there. He stood on his feet immediately, leaving the parts of his pistol on his scarf, which was laying on the sand, and ran to her. Although her hands were tied together, he didn't doubt to hug her tightly, their wet bodies pressing against each other for some seconds before he let her go.

"Nari, luv, what are you doing here?" Removing the thick rope from her wrists, he continued "You shouldn't be here. You'd be safer on the _Pearl_."

She smiled at his concern. "I couldn't leave you behind."

His eyes shone with love and he gave her a soft smile. When the rope was removed, he took a look at her hands; her wrists were slightly burned, but it was not too bad. His eyes travelled to the injuries on her hands; the water had cleaned them, but they didn't look good. Jack clenched his jaw upon seeing her delicate hands in such a state. Noticing his anger, Narissa cupped his cheek, causing him look at her.

"I've been through worse than this, you know that," she reassured with a soft voice. He nodded sadly, remembering that large scar that crossed her abdomen. Still, he didn't like the look of these wounds.

"I thought you would stay with Will. Weren't you supposed to protect him?"

Her mind travelled to her best friend, her heart was pierced by a sudden worry. She hated herself for leaving him again. "I didn't really think much. I saw you in the water and just... Jumped."

Sitting on the almost white sand, Narissa removed her boots and threw them next to Jack's. He sat next to her, still not liking the idea of her being stuck on this island with him. The moment he went back to reassembling his pistol, Elizabeth came back. Once she saw her friend from afar, she shouted her name and ran to her.

Narissa turned her head and stood up to embrace her. "I'm so sorry this is happening," she muttered to her younger woman.

"It's not your fault. What are you doing here? Did he also make you walk the plank?"

"No, no... He wouldn't do that." Seeing Elizabeth's questioning look, she decided to confess. "Lizzie, Barbossa is... He's my father."

Her jaw hanged open in shock; that explained many things about her: All the things she knew about pirates, all the places in the world that she had seen, everything she didn't want to tell her about her life before they met. Suddenly, everything made sense.

She was a pirate! Although she felt a trace of disappointment, Elizabeth's view of pirates improved a little. Maybe she was right when she was a kid and not all pirates were that bad.

Listening to the women's conversation, Jack finished his work with his pistol. Elizabeth turned to him and said angrily "If you're going to shoot me, please, do so without delay."

Sighing, Jack asked "Is there a problem between us, Miss Swann?", narrowing his eyes.

"You were going to tell Barbossa about Will in exchange for a ship!" she replied with even more venom in her voice.

Narissa groaned and told her. "He wasn't going to sell William, Lizzie. Everything was planned out."

The pirate continued "Exactly! Because as long as he didn't know about bloody Will, I had something to bargain with, which now no one has, thanks to bloody stupid Will."

Elizabeth stayed silent, a simple "Oh." leaving her mouth.

"Oh!" he mocked her. Keeping his pistol under the scarf that was now wrapped arund his waist, he headed inland; Elizabeth followed him, trying to convince him to find a way to get out.

Narissa decided to stay by the beach, tired of arguments and yelling. She layed back with a sigh and closed her eyes, letting the Caribbean sun dry her body and clothes. The white sand was soft under her feet, the salty air filled her nostrils, making her drift off.

Minutes later, the couple came back, still arguing. The pirate held two bottles of rum in his hands, Elizabeth had another one. Jack sat down next to Narissa again, while Elizabeth stood in front of them.

"So! Is there any truth to the other stories?" Elizabeth asked, making Narissa arc an eyebrow and sit back up. What had they been talking about? Possibly, about the way that he had escaped the island years ago.

"Truth?" Jack said with a serious, low voice. He rolled up his sleeves, showing his scars and the pirate brand, and then, the bullet wound on his chest. Narissa stared sadly at them, although she had seen those marks already. "No truth at all," he concluded while Narissa rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll stay alive a month, maybe more. Keep a weather eye open for passing ships, and our chances are fair." He drank from the rum bottle after pronouncing this words, even he didn't believe them. Jack offered Narissa the bottle. She accepted it and took a long gulp. "Give me your hands," he told her.

She obeyed and he held her hands softly, slowly caressing the skin with his thumbs; Elizabeth stood perplexed at seeing the pirate treating her friend so gently. Jack poured some rum on her wounds, causing her to hiss slightly as the alcohol stung on her skin. Some golden drops fell on the sand between them.

"There's no need t-" Her words were interrupted by his velvety voice.

"We don't want your pretty hands to get infected, do we, luv?" As he said this, he tore his eyes away from her hands for a second to rest them on her face; noticing that she was looking at him, he sent her a brief smile.

Then, after reaching for his sword, he cut two pieces of his shirt and carefully wrapped them around her hands, as if he feared that she could break if he was too harsh. Narissa stared at his face, his dark eyes were focused on his task. She savoured the way his hands brushed her skin; the last time he had touched her so gently was the night they made love.

"Done!" he exclaimed finally, flashing her a smile and kissing both of her hands lovingly. She smiled back and muttered a soft _thank you_.

After a long silence, Elizabeth asked "And what about Will? We have to do something! Narissa, he's your best friend!"

The woman shrugged. "What can I do from here?

Wrapping an arm around Narissa's shoulders, Jack tossed a bottle full of rum, which rolled down until it reached Elizabeth's feet. Elizabeth frowned at the bottle near her feet. She took it and stared at it as an idea occured to her.

"Here's luck to you, Will Turner!" Jack said and he drunk once again before passing the bottle to Narissa. She took a swing from the golden liquid; right now, there was nothing else she wanted to do but getting drunk and forgetting everything.

The browned haired woman stared at the ocean, unconciously holding Jack's hand and intertwining their fingers. All kind of worrying thoughts crossed her mind: William was going to get killed; she hadn't done anything to prevent it; Elizabeth, Jack and her were going to die soon; Jack would never get the _Pearl_ back...

The pirate who sat by her side noticed her hands were trembling. "What's wrong?", he asked softly next to her ear. She sivered upon hearing his voice, which was somehow a combination of harsh and soft.

Who knew how many days she had left to enjoy this man's company? Narissa stood up and grasped Jack's arm, pulling him up from the sand and taking him deep into the palm trees, leaving a perplexed Elizabeth alone by the shore. Once she was sure that her friend couldn't see them, she grabbed a fistful of the pirate's shirt, pulled him towards her and captured his lips in a powerful kiss. Her tongue immediately entered his mouth and he gladly accepted it, moaning slightly into the kiss.

Jack could sense her anxiety. He didn't know how he could feel it, maybe it was the strangely desperate kiss, or her trembling hands holding his shoulders tightly, or her quick breaths when they separated their mouths for a second. He simply knew she wasn't alright.

He broke the kiss and cupped her face in his hands, staring into her eyes in an attempt to read her. "What's wrong?" he repeated.

She got lost in his eyes for a few seconds, but soon avoided his gaze with a sigh. He knew her too well, she couldn't lie to him; but she feared she would break down if she started to talk. She gulped. "Everything," was her simple reply, but he understood.

She felt her anger, her stress, her fear, growing stronger with every second that she was on that island. She brought her mouth closer to his, until they were merely an inch away from each other, and whispered "I just want to get drunk and fuck you until we finally die here."

These words were followed by a lick on his neck, to which Jack brought his head backwards and groaned "Sounds like a great plan to me." He pulled her body to his and connected their lips once again. He rested a hand on her back and another on her head, his fingers burying in her hair.

"We can't make much noise," Narissa added, worried that her friend would hear them. Jack nodded. "And it has to be quick. I give you five minutes."

"Two are enough," he said with a smirk, causing her to giggle.

Their lips met again, tongues fighting, lighting the spark that always burned between them. Slowly, Jack moved forward, pressing her body until she was between a palm tree and him. His mouth found her neck, where he left many wet kisses and tiny bites. She let out a few giggles, which quickly became breathy moans. Meanwhile, one of Jack's hands found her breast, which he massaged gently. He caught her nipple and expertly rolled it between his fingers.The small groans and moans she was making were enough to start making his pants tight.

She circled her arms around his shoulders and whispered against his ear "I need you, Jackie."

She didn't say it with a lustful voice, it was not meant to seduce him. In fact, she sounded more weak than he had ever heard her. He looked into her eyes again and understood. She needed him to make her feel better, to kiss her worries away, to help her forget about what was happening for just a few minutes. She needed to feel something good for once, even if it didn't last long. Her eyes were pleading him to help her. He wasn't the best person at giving support, but he could give her that: a few minutes of endless pleasure.

His hands moved down to her bottom and he grabbed it while kissing her again. His beard burned against her skin and the sensation sent shivers along her spine. His wild hands travelled back to her hips, holding them so tightly that it would leave a mark. Slowly, he moved to the hem of her trousers and quickly pulled them down until they reached her knees; there, she broke the kiss and completely took off the piece of clothing, leaving it somewhere on the sand.

Jack's left hand stayed on her hip while his right one found her slit. A finger caressed her softly. She was so wet already, which made him smile. His touch made Narissa close her eyes and sigh in content as her chest rised and fell, following her heavy breathing.

When two of his fingers entered her, she gasped in pleasure, but grabbed his wrist to stop it. "No! Let's do it already." She sounded so desperate that he couldn't disagree with her, no matter how much he wanted to pleasure her.

"Jump," Jack muttered hoarsely between their kisses. She obeyed, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and resting her back on the tree trunk. Her cunt brushed against his clothed manhood and he let out a brief low moan. He grabbed her bottom firmly so she wouldn't fall. Narissa instinctively rolled her hips against him, feeling his cock growing harder.

She smiled seductively at the effect she had on him. "Mmh Jack," she whispered seductively next to his ear. "You're so hard..." She rolled her hips again. The action caused his dick to brush against her clit. Her eyes rolled back at the contact as her lips made an 'O' shape.

Jack smirked. He kissed her neck and collarbone while Narissa's hands reached down to untie his trousers and free his shaft. She stared down at him and unconciously licked her lips. Her breath became heavier at the anticipation of having him inside. She wrapped her fingers around it, making his hips jerk slightly towards her body, and directed it to her opening.

For a second, only his tip was inside her, making her shiver. Finally, with a quick powerful thrust and a deep groan, he entered her. She felt as if a lightning ran through her. Narissa gave him an open mouth kiss to suppress the loud moan that threatened to escape from her.

The pirate's hold of her body became stronger as he pulled out. He stayed outside for a second and entered her again all of a sudden, even more forceful than the first time. They both moaned into the kiss, closing their eyes in pleasure. Jack grasped her waist to move her hips in sync with his, following the rhythm he had settled and making her bounce. Her arms held his shoulders strongly, burying her nails into his shirt and skin.

She dared to open her eyes and look at him intently. He was so beautiful. His brows formed a slight frown, his eyes were closed in concentration, his teeth bit his bottom lip to suppress the seductive sounds, sweat ran down his forehead and his neck. She reached out to caress his cheek and he opened his dark eyes at the contact. He stared at her as she bounced on top of him. Her whimpers and moans were suppressed until they became sweet seducing sighs. It was music for his ears.

At some point, Jack hitted a particular spot inside of her, which made her moan louder than she wanted to and hold him tighter. "Right there," she whimpered.

Jack smirked and pushed into her harder, pulling her hips towards him forcefully and brushing that spot again. "There?" he asked teasingly. She bit onto his shoulder to restrain her moan and nodded.

Jack kept thrusting into that spot over and over again, making it more difficult for her to keep quiet. A knot was forming in her lower abdomen, which indicated her climax was near. She brought her head back, allowing Jack to leave wet kisses on her neck while his thrusts became impossibly more energetic, filling her completely every time he entered her.

For some minutes, the rest of the world didn't exist. All of her problems faded away. It was just Narissa and Jack. And it was perfect. She rested her forehead on his and closed her eyes tightly; their breaths intertwining as her orgasm approached. She didn't want this to end, she didn't want to go back to the real world. She wanted to stay with Jack, like this, forever.

His movements started to become less rhythmic, but stronger. He was also close. His hips jerked uncontrollably and strongly, causing her to let out a silent cry. His lips attacked hers as he felt her walls tighten around his cock.

The pleasure was uncontrollable now. "J-Jack," she whimpered. It almost sounded like she was crying. In fact, he looked at her for a second and saw a tear running down her cheek. "Jack, please," she begged for her release.

With one final thrust, she fell apart in his arms. Her walls clenched around him while she pressed her mouth on his neck to muffle the sound of her orgasm. He came inside her a second later, a mixture of a groan and a moan left his lips. He kept guiding her hips slowly towards his as her orgasm reached its end.

The moment she was finished, she rested her head on his shoulder while he carefully lowered her from his body. Her feet reached the floor. He chuckled when her knees failed and kept a hold on her waist to help her stand.

Once she knew that she could stand by herself, she knelt down and grabbed her trousers while Jack pulled his up. As she dressed, Narissa mumbled "Thank you."

He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him, and left a kiss on her temple. "Any time," he replied, winking. And he meant it; he would be there for her whenever she needed him, whether it was for joining their bodies or for help. As long as she wanted him, she'd have him.

~~~~~~~

  
Elizabeth saw the couple walking back to the shore. "What were you two doing?"

They quickly glanced at each other before Jack replied "Counting how much rum and food the rumrunners left."

The girl didn't sense anything in his voice to prove that he was lying, but she looked suspiciously at both of them. She saw the purple mark that decorated Narissa's neck. Her face showed disgust for a second, but she didn't mention it.

Narissa sat down between the noble woman and the pirate. Glancing at her, she sang softly "Drink up me hearties, yo ho..."

Elizabeth smiled slightly and continued "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me...", causing her friend to smirk.

Jack turned his head to both women. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Just a song we used to sing together when I actually thought it would be exciting to meet a pirate," Elizabeth replied angrily.

Jack could vaguely remember Narissa singing that song when she was younger and he was her captain aboard the _Black Pearl._ She only sang when nobody was around and he loved listening to her when she thought no-one was hearing. "Let's hear it!"

"No," both girls said.

"Come on. We've got the time. Let's have it!" he insisted, wrapping and arm around Narissa and bringing her closer to him. He wanted to hear her beautiful voice again. He remembered listening to her and thinking that her singing was more captivating than any mermaid song.

"I'd have to have a lot more to drink," Elizabeth responded with a plan in her mind.

He smirked. "How much more?" And took a large gulp from the glass bottle in his hand, causing Narissa to laugh softly. The pirate turned to her. "Drink, love, it's going to be a fun night."

And that's how a long night of signing, dancing, shouting and drinking started.

**Author's Note:**

> Narissa was 17 when she met Jack, and he was 25. So, afterwards, she's 27 and he's 35.


End file.
